Harry Potter and the Jewel of Life
by WarsOfShadows
Summary: Harry Potter leads a normal life in the quaint region of Surrey with the Dursleys - that is, until a giant and his hell-beast bust into their house and tell him about the world of pokémon. From there, Harry's life is completely changed and he makes new friends, enemies and uncovers dark and dangerous secrets...and, more importantly, a family.
1. A Man and His Dog

**Hello, and welcome to _Harry Potter and the Jewel of Life_. Ever since Mr Chaos dropped the bomb about Voldy being a Spiritomb, I temporarily gave up on my own recreation of the HP/Pokémon universe. But then the ideas I had about this fic started growing once more and I just couldn't let them stay in my head.**

 **Anyway, this is the result of those ideas! Like Mr Chaos', this won't be an _exact_ adaptation of the books. There will be plot twists, new friends, enemies, deaths, etc. Nothing major.**

 **While most of the ideas are my own, I will admit that _some_ of them will be similar to Mr Chaos' works. Because I just can't find replacements for Dementors and the like, although the reason for Voldemort's near-immortality will be somewhat different. Any suggestions on how to adapt canon will be always be welcomed; just send them in either a PM or a review.**

 **So without further ado, I present the first chapter of _the Jewel of Life_! Oh, and don't forget to review.**

XxXxX

The Dursley family of Number Four, Privet Drive were happy to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They lived in a normal house in a normal street filled with normal people in a perfectly normal region. The only thing not normal about the Dursleys was the small cupboard under the stairs...and the boy it housed by the name of Harry James Potter.

Harry was an unusual boy, and everybody, including himself, knew it, although they couldn't put their finger on what _did_ make him unusual. Perhaps it was the quiet demeanour he had, with his big, emerald eyes watching, or the clothes he wore, which were always five sizes too big, or even the jagged scar in shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead – there was definitely _something_ strange about him.

Harry had lived in the quaint and tiny region of Surrey with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and cousin Dudley for as long as he could remember and nobody had told him otherwise. He'd never known his parents, who were apparently freaks who died in a car crash one drunk night according to Petunia and Vernon. (Vernon and Petunia tended to get very reserved when the topic was brought up and began mistreating Harry even worse than normal, which was saying something.) Harry had never felt even an ounce of love or care those ten years he spent with his abusive relatives, who always put him down and gave him chores and the occasional beating if he looked like he was going to do something 'freaky'. Harry didn't have the foggiest idea as to why he was treated so harshly, but he'd come to expect in a few short years since his arrival at the doorstep that he was, like his parents, truly a freak.

But these weren't the reasons Harry was considered a freaky kid. No, the reason his relatives treated him as such was because strange things and accidents kept occurring around him, like the time where he accidentally threw the house cat across the living room even though he was in his cupboard, or when he inexplicably opened the front door when Dudley's Aunt Marge had arrived one fine summer. Things like that.

It wasn't like he was living in a great place to begin with, so there was no chance for life to be exciting for Harry. No, Harry lived in a barren place, where there was little flora and fauna with only a small populace scattered around the region, and the cause for such barrenness was a great war lasting for nearly fifteen years, creating a generation gap so massive that Surrey now consisted mostly of children and older people. It wasn't like it mattered, since Petunia and Vernon rarely allowed Harry to go outside and mingle with others in fear of him being 'freaky'.

His cousin Dudley, however, was a completely different case. While Harry had been neglected and shunned nearly all his life, Dudley we showered with so much love and affection that it got to his head. The Dursley child always got whatever he wanted no matter what his parents had to do to acquire it – his parents could _never_ say no. As a result, Dudley grew up to become a spoilt brat with a circle of friends having similar parents and personalities. They all enjoyed bullying Harry, because only Harry kept his mouth shut whenever anyone mistreated him and never said anything, and because it was only with Harry that they could play their favourite game: Harry Hunting.

Harry didn't have much of a life in Surrey. He woke up, did the chores, went to a normal school with his stupid cousin, came back home to do some more chores and sometimes receive beatings, and then have a dinner of leftovers, which wasn't much since Vernon and his son ate like starving boarhounds. Everyday was a routine, a routine which he hated with a burning passion but one that he couldn't do anything about. Disobeying his uncle and aunt incurred their wrath and Harry was too timid to not listen to his frightening relatives.

Until one day, when everything changed. And Harry would never forget the day when a giant of a man and his demonic dog broke into his house and changed his life forever.

XxXxX

On a particularly ordinary morning, Harry woke up in his cupboard to the sound of pounding overhead. Harry groaned; Dudley was once again stomping the stairs right above where Harry's cupboard was situated.

"Wake up, shithead!" Dudley's muffled voice boomed. Harry groggily wore his broken-now-fixed pair of glasses as Dudley continued. "Make me my breakfast!"

Harry sighed, hurriedly getting off his bed so that he could do the first chore of the day. He knew the only thing that came out of waiting was Uncle Vernon's wrath, and Harry did not want his morning to be ruined (which normally was). He turned the knob of the cupboard door, only to see Dudley waiting outside, wanting to see Harry's face. Dudley unceremoniously shoved Harry back into his room and slammed the door shut before sniggering to himself about his sense of humour.

Harry groaned as he pushed himself up off the ground. He fixed his now-broken glasses with tape and once again exited the room, wearing one of Dudley's old clothes which were five sizes too big for him. Harry had never got anything of his own, and never expected any, because he didn't want to beg of Vernon or Petunia and see them laughing wildly in response.

The boy quickly slipped into the kitchen and got ready to make some breakfast. As he put a load of bacon and sausages for frying, Harry saw Dudley, roughly the weight of a warthog, stroll pompously into the kitchen, where his beefy father was reading the newspaper and making snide remarks about all the headlines to no one in particular. Vernon immediately looked up at their son and beamed at Dudley, who in turn smirked smugly as he sat on a comfortable couch.

It was extremely rare to find Dudley so lively at this time in the morning. It was a pain in the neck to wake him up on schooldays, a chore given to Harry, which resulted in many late arrivals. But today was a big day for the overgrown boy: today was the day Dudley would be playing a football match and he was not going to be a benchwarmer.

Harry, on the other hand, wasn't going anywhere. Instead, he'd be staying with his least favourite people in the world, do their chores and go to a poor school and grow up to become a servant boy or something like that – well, that was what the Dursleys told him anyway.

"All set, Dudders?" Vernon asked cheerfully.

"Yes, Pops," Dudley replied. "Piers and Malcolm'll be meeting me in an hour and then we'll head to Gordon's," he said pleasantly, which was a surprise to Harry since he'd never heard the fat boy articulate such a long sentence. "Where's my breakfast?" he bawled a second later.

Vernon glared at his nephew in response. "Get on with it, boy!" Vernon bellowed. Vernon never called Harry by his real name; it was either 'boy' or 'freak' or 'ungrateful wretch' or sometimes even 'bastard'.

Harry nodded and hastily began stirring the vast amount of bacon and sausages just as Petunia entered the kitchen, throwing a dirty look at the black-haired boy. "Get a move on, and don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's big day," she hissed. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry replied in a monotone. He was already used to such vile treatment from his relatives.

While Harry fried the breakfast in the best way possible, Petunia and Vernon began pulling out an unbelievable amount of presents for Dudley due to him playing in such an important match. Harry watched absently in pure jealously as Dudley began to unceremoniously tear the wrapping paper from the presents like a barbarian.

It wasn't hard for Dudley to make Harry feel jealous as he began to show-off each present very obviously. Harry felt his eyes stinging as he looked away from the scene and did his best not to cry, an act he'd mastered over the years after learning that his feeling held no value in the Dursley family.

 _They wouldn't do this for me_ , he thought angrily as he stirred the bacon and eggs once again. _Correction_ : nobody _would do this for me..._

"Breakfast, boy!" Vernon shouted angrily. Harry flinched and replied feebly, saying "Yes," before turning off the gas.

As Harry served the bacon and sausages on three plates, he felt an uncontrollable urge to taste some. He hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon, due to his permission for accidentally over-frying yesterday's lunch, and he definitely wanted to eat some right now. _Just a little won't hurt...Dudley won't even notice with his piggy eyes._ He sniggered silently at the thought. _Yeah_ , he said to himself, his hand reaching towards a particularly juicy sausage, _just a tiny bite—_

Harry gasped in pain as he felt a sharp blow on the back of his head a second before he touched the piece of food. Eyes watering in pain, he turned around, eyes widening in fear when he finally recognised Vernon's enormous figure looming over the scrawny boy. The large man's face was twisted into a fierce scowl.

"U-U-Uncle V-V—" Harry stammered, but Vernon cut him off.

"Don't let me catch you even touching the food meant for us, you ungrateful wretch!" he growled threateningly. "I don't want your freaky hands to contaminate our food!"

"Y-Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry muttered.

Vernon snorted and bellowed at Harry to serve the three of them. The boy quickly served his relatives, then wolfed down the leftovers in a matter of seconds before waiting to wash the dishes. He really hated his life. If it wasn't for the fact that he didn't have any pocket money and that the legal age for starting out was eleven, Harry would've run away a long time ago and begun his life as a runaway pokémon trainer. Well, it wasn't like his "family" would miss him; on the contrary, Uncle Vernon would say almost everyday that he would love to see the back of him.

 _That's it._ Harry gritted his teeth, his head still throbbing in pain. _I'm getting out of this place at midnight_ , he grumbled to himself savagely. _Maybe I'll steal some money from Uncle Vernon's safe...he never locks it, and then I'll make a run for_ —

 _BOOM_.

Everybody in the household flinched as there was an astoundingly large knock at the door. Petunia shrieked, Dudley choked on some sausage and Vernon spilled his entire morning coffee over the front of his shirt.

"Gah!" Vernon exclaimed in pain, the hot coffee scalding his skin. "Who the bloody hell is knocking on the door like that?! You better be ready for an answer or I will fix you!" he added as he stormed to the front door.

The remaining three members of the house could still hear Vernon grumbling right until he opened the door, where he abruptly stopped. Harry's mind began whirling with possibilities as he wondered who could silence Vernon so suddenly, but his suspicions were soon answered when he, Dudley and Petunia rushed outside once Vernon let out a strangled scream.

When Harry saw who it was, he froze.

A giant of a man was standing inside, stooping low enough for his head to simply brush the ceiling. He had untamed, grizzly hair that covered his entire face save for the region around his eyes and mouth and seemed to weigh a ton. He wore an enormous, brown, ragged and old jacket that seemed to house a gazillion pockets, black trousers and a humongous pair of worn-out shoes. Each step he took resulted in loud thuds, and it wasn't a wonder that everybody else was frozen in pure fear.

The giant looked around, then grinned when his tiny black eyes settled on Harry's tiny frame. "Ah, there yeh are, Harry!" he said gently. Despite his alarming appearance, he had a gentle air around him. "It's been a long time since I saw yeh. Yeh were only a baby when I dropped yeh off at this place."

Harry's eyes widened. " _You_ brought me here?" he asked, incredulous.

The giant chuckled. "Yeah, I did. You were the size of half my – but never mind that now. All set? We've got ter get yer stuff, ya know."

Harry frowned in puzzlement. "S-Set for what?" he stuttered, still a bit frightened off the giant.

It was the giant's turn to frown. "Wait, yeh don't know?" he asked softly.

"Out," Vernon stuttered unexpectedly, finally gaining his voice. "Get out!"

"Yeh two didn't tell him?" the giant growled as he faced Vernon and Petunia, who cowered under the fierce glare. "What about 'em letters, eh? The ones Professor Dumbledore's been sending?"

"We...We burnt them," Petunia muttered, her face pale. "We don't want _him_ —" she said that word with such disgust that even Dudley was shocked, "—meddling with you and your unnaturalness and ending up like his stupid parents—"

"Yeh don't have a say in all of this," the giant interrupted, scowling. "Nothing yeh two say's gon' do nothing about Harry's life."

Harry was now really confused. "What are you three talking about?" he asked the intruder. "And who _are_ you?"

The giant of a man chuckled. "Where are me manners? Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts – well, but yeh won't know much about Hogwarts, seeing as these fools haven't told yeh a thing..."

Hagrid shoved his hand in one of the numerous pockets on his coat, bringing out a thick, crumbled envelope a moment later, the Dursley's address clearly written on the front with an emerald green ink.

"Open it up," Hagrid urged as Harry beheld the envelope in his hands. Harry obliged, slipping the envelope open and bringing out two sheets of paper neatly stapled together as he noticed Vernon slipping into the master bedroom, probably to cry. Still puzzled, he turned his attention to the letter, which read:

 **HOGWARTS POKÉMON TRAINER ACADEMY**

 **Headmaster** : Albus Dumbledore

 _Dear **Mr Potter** ,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts Pokémon Trainer Academy. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary equipment and textbooks._

 _Term starts on September 1st. We expect your reply by no later than July 31st._

 _Signed,_

 ** _Minerva McGonagall_**

 ** _Deputy Headmistress_**

Harry turned towards Hagrid.

"What is Hogwarts?" was the first question he asked.

Hagrid chuckled lightly. "Hogwarts is a trainer school, Harry," he replied. "There, yeh'll be taught how ter train pokémon, take care of 'em, an'...an' some other stuff. Instead of goin' an' challengin' gym leaders ter enter League tournaments, Hogwarts give yeh a leg up and allows yeh ter directly enter the League tournaments without earnin' gym badges. Plus, it gives yeh a mo' rounded education an' yeh've had a place there since yeh were born, all thanks ter yer parents. Coo, eh?"

Harry nodded dumbly, but blinked when something occurred to him. "Hagrid...What is 'pokémon'?"

"'Bout tha'..." The giant scratched his rough beard for a few seconds before responding. "Pokémon are strange creatures, Harry. Well, they resemble animals, like lions an' stuff, but they've got magical powers. Some of 'em can manipulate fire, others water, an', err..." He scratched the back of his head and gave Harry an apologetic look. "Sorry, Harry. I dunno how terms explain the stuff. You'll get better knowledge 'bout 'em at Hogwarts."

"He's not going!" Harry and Hagrid whipped around to see Vernon butting in the conversation, a shotgun in his hand as his family cowered behind him. Harry's uncle walked slowly and menacingly towards Hagrid and Harry, pumping the shotgun before pointing it at Hagrid. "And get out of my house unless you want your tiny brain to decorate my walls. DID YOU HEAR ME—AAAARRRGH!"

Harry's heat skipped a beat as a fierce growl pierced his ears. Petunia and Dudley screamed as a black figure blurred into the house, crashing into Vernon and sending him to the ground. Harry adjusted his glasses, but immediately wished he hadn't when he saw his uncle an inch away from what seemed like death.

A beast fit to come from the fires of hell was standing over Vernon, who was trembling in fear. The demonic canine had sleek, black fur, although its underside and face had brown fur. Its torso had a secondary external ribcage of ivory bones and two bones circled its four ankles. It had a thin, long tail with something like an arrow's point at the end. What seemed the fiercest was the horns on its head, which were raked sharply towards the back.

The Houndoom _snarled_ , gripping the shotgun from Vernon's terrified hands and clenching its powerful maw so that the weapon snapped into two with ease. It was so enraged that its scarlet eyes were bloodshot and was practically frothing at the mouth. Houndoom opened its jaws, its sharp and long fangs a centimetre away from Vernon's face, a snarl building up in its throat as it—

"Back, Fang!" Hagrid shouted sternly. "Back!"

Fang stopped its bite abruptly, whining softly before it got up from Vernon's body and bounded towards Hagrid. Hagrid seemed unperturbed by the incident and was scratching the Houndoom behind its horns, growling contently in response.

"Sorry 'bout tha'," Hagrid told Harry, the Dursleys going unnoticed. "Fang looks a bit fierce, but he's really a softie. Aren't you, you great brute?"

Fang growled.

"That...The beast almost killed me!" Vernon exclaimed once he recovered from his initial shock and fear. "I'm calling the police. Get out of my house at once—"

"Call the coppers if that's what yeh want, Dursley," Hagrid growled, "but firs' they'll want ter investigate what I can only assume is an unlicensed firearm in yer house. They'll be very interested in tha', very interested indeed."

Vernon gulped.

"So...Yeh ready ter go, Harry?" Hagrid asked. "It's already twenty-ninth of July, y'know. We've got ter get yer stuff before school starts."

"Stop it, that's enough!" Vernon bellowed. "Enough with this crazy nonsense. The boy will go to a normal school and, maybe, just maybe if he doesn't go to this crackpot school of yours we will buy him a pokémon and make him a pokémon trainer. But he will NOT go to your stupid place a learn how to become a freaky freak just like his freaky parents!"

"Oh, goanboylyerhead, Dursley," Hagrid scoffed. "And fry yer face too, while yer at it!"

Vernon swelled like a balloon, his face turning a familiar purple as he prepared to explode into speech, but a low growl from Hagrid's Houndoom quietened him in an instant.

"Anyway," Hagrid said as he turned to face Harry once more, "what was I sayin'? Oh yeah. C'mon. We don't want ter stay with this ruddy lot any longer."

Harry nodded. With one last look at the frightened Dursleys, he turned away, a wide grinned slowly creeping up his face as he thought:

 _Well, so much for Dudley's big day being perfect._


	2. Ollivander's and Death Eaters

It had been an hour since Harry had left the house, and now he was standing with Hagrid and Fang at the edge of Privet Drive. He'd encountered several people who lived on the street, who were bewildered to see the boy hanging around a giant of a man, since Harry was normally always confined to the house except for when he went to school and when he was an absolutely good boy. All the while his grin never left his face, because the thought of finally being a pokémon trainer was consuming him like black hole.

When he finally realised they were at the edge of the street and near the coast, Harry frowned. "Mr Hagrid?"

Hagrid jumped in surprise. "Blimey, Harry," he said, chuckling. "Ya don' need ter call me 'Mr Hagrid', Harry. Just 'Hagrid' will do."

"Okay, Hagrid." He grinned. "What I was going to ask was...How are we going to get to...wherever it is we're supposed to go?"

Hagrid blinked. "Oh, I completely forgot 'bout tha'," he replied slowly. "No problem, I've got somethin' in case of an emergency. Step back for a mo' Harry..."

Harry obliged as the giant took out a red and white sphere from a pocket. Fang the Houndoom wagged his sleek tail as his trainer tossed the pokeball in the air.

There was a flash of light and the creature inside materialised outside. It looked like a humongous, rotund black doll with several pink eyes circling its head. The creature whirred and levitated off the ground, spinning once before looking at the group.

"Clay..." it whirred, spinning once more mid-air.

"What pokémon is that, Hagrid?" Harry asked. It looked quite unnerving.

"Tha' is a Claydol, Harry," Hagrid informed the boy. "I caught this little cutie when I visited Desert Island one night in me second year. Impressive, eh?"

It certainly didn't look like a cutie to him, but Harry had to admit that Claydol certainly was impressive. He could feel an immense amount of energy within it as the Claydol floated towards him. It cocked its body at the boy for a moment, then floated back towards Hagrid to await instructions.

"Claydol, I need yeh ter transport all three of us ter Graystone City." Claydol's multiple eyes blinked, pointing a small arm at Fang, who snarled in response. Comprehension dawned across Hagrid's furry face. "Oh, righ'. Almost forgot 'bout Fang bein' a dark-type." Hagrid pulled out a pokeball and recalled Fang, who let out a small whine of protest before he was absorbed into the stasis pod.

Hagrid patted his pocket and smiled at Claydol. "Whenever yer ready, Claydol."

Claydol whirred once more before its body illuminated, the light growing more intense by the second—

Harry gasped as he was suddenly sucked into a void of pure energy, feeling like his entire body was being forced through the thinnest tube; his lungs tightened, being crushed like paper bags as every single molecule that composed his body was being whisked away to another location—

The boy stumbled for a moment as he landed hard on a hard pavement, his head spinning from pain and vertigo from the sudden event. He had an unimaginable trouble in breathing and his body felt like it had just been microwaved. He felt a meaty paw grasp his shoulder; he looked up and saw Hagrid's giant form through his hazy vision.

"Yeh alrigh', Harry?" Hagrid asked, concerned.

"Y-Yeah." Harry nodded, his head swimming. He could feel something building at the back of his throat...

He sprayed the pavement with his puke a second later, the taste of bile still lingering in his mouth. Hagrid recoiled in disgust as Harry barked for the second and last time on the ground, earning exclamations of disgust all around him.

"Harry!" Hagrid exclaimed, hastily rummaging through one of his pockets and bringing out a round green berry. "Have one of 'em," he told Harry. "They'll make yeh feel better in an instant."

Harry looked at the berry sceptically, but grabbed it and shoved it in his mouth unceremoniously. It tasted extremely sour, but after a good few chews the boy decided that it was worth it. It took only a split-second for his dizziness to clear out, and he pushed himself up, as good as new.

"Wow," he uttered. He looked up and grinned at Hagrid. "Thanks a lot, Hagrid!"

"Aw, don' mention it," he said dismissively. "Lum berries can take care of anythin' in an instant, lemme tell yeh." He cleared his throat. "Er, so firs' stop will be at the Pokémon Centre. Yeh'll need ter get yerself registered on the trainer network ter get a trainer license. Later we might as well get yer clothes, but it's all up ter yer. I guess there's a list of stuff needed in that letter of yers."

"Oh. Okay." Harry fumbled with his envelope, skipping the acceptance letter and turning over to the list of needed items. He reread the letter several times, excitement threatening to burst out of his body as the words sank in.

 **UNIFORM**

 **First-year students will require:**

 **•Three sets of trainer outfits (any colour; stain resistant, reinforced thread with protective underwire, form-fitting)**

 **•One protective cap for outdoor classes (optional)**

 **•Protective gloves**

 **•Running shoes**

 **BOOKS**

 **Hogwarts 1st year curriculum**

 **1. _A History of Omnis_ by Bathilda Bagshot**

 **2. _Potion-making for Beginners_ by Libatius Borage**

 **3. _Walking Through the Tall Grass_ by Phyllida Spore**

 **4. _DataDex: A Guide to Competitive Battling_ by Quentin Trimble**

 **5. _The Natural History of Pokémon_ by Newt Scamander**

 **6. _Theory of Battle_ by Lester Papadopoulos**

 **7. _The Art of Pokeball-making_ by Arsenius Jigger**

 **OTHER REQUIREMENTS**

 **•No more than TWO pokémon**

 **•One pokeball belt**

 **•One communication device: Pokégear, PokéNav, Pokétch, X-Transciever or Holo-Caster**

 **•One berry pouch**

 **•One TM case**

 **•A standard trainer bag (chrome)**

 **•Five pokeballs**

Harry folded up the letter in his hand and pocketed it, grinning; the list had enclosed so many things, and he couldn't wait to get them. The thing about his very own pokémon had got him riled up, and he was practically jumping with excitement.

But a second later his grin faltered, and he looked at Hagrid with a panicked expression. "Hagrid, how am I going to pay for all this?" he asked quickly. "I mean, Uncle Vernon isn't going to pay for my education, and I don't have any money of my own, so—"

"Come on, Harry, yeh don' think tha' yer parents din' have any money of their own, did ya?" Hagrid said. "'Course not! Nah, the firs' thing we're goin' ter do is link yer family vault ter yer trainer account. A'right?"

Harry nodded eagerly, happy at the prospect. If Hagrid really was telling the truth, and not a bunch of lies just to make the boy feel better, he no longer had to beg his relatives for any money.

All around him there were people and pokémon in equal proportions. In a park nearby they saw two children chasing a Buneary around the fountain in the centre, who let itself get caught a few times before running again. A woman, possibly their mother since she told them not to get too far, was fussing over her baby and a Togepi, giving them a few treats every two minutes. As they walked further, they saw a crowd gathering over an ice cream parlour in the blazing heat, clamouring for sundaes and more scoops. An Aipom and it's evolved form, an Ambipom, were helping the man in charge in speeding things up, occasionally picking a berry and chucking it in their mouths. A flock of Starly, headed by a Staravia, flew overhead in a 'V' formation, while Wingull and the occasional Pelliper soared the skies above the seas; a few Wingull rested on boat railings and piers, careful to avoid Ducklett. Along the streets, a businesswoman walked swiftly, typing away quickly on her phablet while giving instructions to a floating laptop possessed by a Rotom.

Harry let a grin form on his face. The world of pokémon was amazing.

Along the way, Hagrid had taken it upon himself to tell him everything. Though most of it sounded rather dangerous (feral pokémon in the Forbidden Forest and a near-death experience of a student with a crazed Nidoking to name a few), most of what Hagrid told him was quite interesting.

"An' then there's – ah 'ere we are!" exclaimed Hagrid, beaming.

Harry's jaw dropped.

The Centre in front of them was _massive_. Five stories tall, its sliding doors were large for even a behemoth like Hagrid. It had sleek, white walls, two windows in the front and a red roof. It was circular, not like the ones in Surrey. There was a large pokeball emblazoned at the top, along with two symbols below it: a blue shopping bag and a plate with a spoon and fork at either side of it.

Hagrid smirked at the awed expressions on Harry's face. "Big, innit? Yeah...Five floors, if yer not includin' the basemen', which is fer frien'ly battles between trainers an' trainin'. Ground level's jus' the lobby fer healin' pokémon and restin' an'...an' fer other stuff. The firs', second an' third are teh provide rooms fer travellin' trainers. Fourth level's the PokéMart and the one above it is the cafeteria."

"Huh," Harry managed weakly.

Harry wouldn't have minded spending more time looking at the Pokémon Centre, but the prospect of getting his very own license was enough to pull him out of his zone.

Just like the outside, the inside of the Pokémon Centre was huge. Hagrid had told him that the reason why the Pokémon Centres in Omnis were big because an incredible number of trainers came to said region due to the vast number of species of pokémon in the wild. It was true; Harry could see the couches filled with trainers chatting, looking at each others' pokédexes and discussing strategies. Several of them had their pokémon out: they saw a Leafeon, an Emolga and a Throh, to name a few.

The inside was just as they'd expected it to be: the centre was a reception where a Nurse Joy was handing out pokeballs to a trainer as young as them, a Chimecho at her side. To the right, a row of video phones were arranged, and a few of them were occupied. The left was a lounge with many circular couches and sofas and a few coffee tables. Escalators connected one floor to another. The entire building was buzzing with conversation. The centre looked more like a mall than anything.

They immediately went over to the nurse's station and got Harry registered to the network. It was simple; he had to fill out a questionnaire on one of the PCs at the right hand corner, which had questions ranging from 'What type of pokémon is Pinsir?' to 'You are a rookie trainer who has just encountered a highly powerful Deino ten minutes into your journey. You have only one pokémon on your roster. What do you do?' Harry passed the test with 87%, which wasn't bad. A trainee nurse had come over to check on their results and pressed in a few commands, issuing a thick green plastic card.

"This is your activation code," she had told the boy. "Once you purchase your pokédexes, go on to IntTraNet and enter your fifteen-digit number. You'll be uploaded on the network in an hour or two."

He purchased his trainer outfit and shoes at Madam Malkin's Trainer Gear, which took quite a bit of time since Harry was busy thinking about never wearing Dudley's hand-me-downs again, then made his way to the other stores to buy the rest of his needs, which included a Hammerspace backpack, pokeballs, a TM Case, a berry pouch, a pokédex and a communication device, which was a pokégear for him. Harry couldn't hold back a wide grin when he realised that his starter pokémon was next.

He was just about to enter a random barn when Hagrid stopped him.

"Oh, no," he said, shaking his head. "Yeh don' wanna go ter some random pokémon breeder! Naw, the bes' place to get a starter pokémon in Graystone is Ollivander's."

Harry cocked his head in puzzlement. "Ollie Van who?"

Hagrid sighed. "C'mon," he said, grabbing the boy with a meaty paw and steering him towards their destination. "Yeh'll know all 'bout it in a mo'."

XxXxX

Harry immediately lost all hope when he saw the place.

It was a small, dusty, battered-looking shop pushed right between two humongous skyscrapers, which made the shop look incredibly diminutive. The windows were lined with shelves which held what seemed like eternity-old pokeballs. Above the door was a fading sign that had three words etched upon it: "Ollivander's Pokémon Emporium".

"I'll wait fer yeh outside," Hagrid told the boy. "This is an experience yeh'll want ter have on yer own."

Harry gave the door light shove, but it seemed to be stuck. With Hagrid's help, they gave it a good hard push and entered the shop, a bell chiming as they did so. The inside was so dim that Harry could only see a few feet in front of them.

"Hello."

He flinched as a gravelly voice wheezed behind him. Harry whipped around, seeing a tiny, wizened man looming into view, his eyes pale and mysterious. The place looked like an antique shop, and the owner himself looked like an antique. Harry was betting that he had more wrinkles on his face than stars in the universe. His wiry, grey hair was a mess and he supported himself with a sturdy wooden staff which was topped with by a pokeball.

"Ah," he exhaled at last, his eyes widening as he seemingly recognised the boy by his scar. "Of course. I have waited many years to meet you, Harry Potter."

Harry gulped, but he didn't say anything. This guy was giving him the creeps.

"It is tradition," said Ollivander, for who else could he be, "for a young trainer to receive their very first pokémon once they turn eleven." A chill ran down the boy's spine as the old man said this. "This pokémon is meant to be their closest friend, companion, a member of a new family. However, it is not a simple matter of choosing a pokémon from my incredibly wide range, oh no. It is not the trainer who chooses the pokémon; in fact, it is quite the opposite. Pokémon must trust you and you them. Without a bond, pokémon would not do anything for their trainers. Why do you think they haven't given up on us after so many aeons?"

"So..." Harry scratched his head in confusion. "You mean the pokémon chooses the trainer?"

Ollivander nodded. "That has been true for many generations."

Ollivander suddenly grinned. "Let's see..." The man turned away and reached for a pokeball on one of the selves with his staff, clutching it with the hook on the staff's tip and bringing it down with such agility that couldn't have been normal for such an ancient human. "Let's start with this one, shall we?"

Harry nervously reached out with his hand, but a second before he could make contact with the sphere Ollivander whisked it away.

"No, not that one," he muttered to himself, now bringing out a love-ball. "Try this one..."

It seemed like Ollivander was born to say "No, not that one" each time he brought out another pokeball. For half an hour Harry tried pokeball after pokeball and each one was taken back as soon as he gave the spheres the tiniest touch. The longer it took, the more Harry yearned to receive just any random pokémon and the more Ollivander seemed to energise.

"No, not that one either," he grumbled, but a split-second later his eyes widened. "Could it be...? Yes, why didn't I think of it earlier? Yes, yes..."

The frail old man disappeared and returned a moment later with a dusty pokeball in his hand. Ollivander's eyes twinkled as he regarded Harry and the pokeball. "Here, try this..."

Harry dutifully held out his hand. The second he cupped the pokeball in his hand, he let out a gasp as a rush of warmth washed over him, spreading from the pokeball and encompassing his entire body. With assurance, Harry's fingers closed over the pokeball, gripping it tightly.

"This is the one," Ollivander mused. "The perfect partner. Yes, you and your new friends will go on to do great things, Mr Potter. We all expect great things from you."

Harry shivered. He couldn't help but find Mr Ollivander extremely creepy. Ollivander smiled and pointed an knobbly finger at the pokeball in Harry's hand.

Harry immediately got the message and let loose the creature inside. The pokémon that materialised following the white flash was – there was no other word for it – round. The second thing Harry noticed was that it was a bird, because its white beak was clearly visible. The bird's top half was covered in creamy-brown feathers, except for its face, which was white like the lower portion of its rotund body. Its two-toed talons were sharp and two leaf-like growths resembling a bowtie was formed just below its face. The bird looked around in confusion, but its eyes twinkled in excitement when it noticed Harry.

"A female Rowlet," Ollivander said softly as the bird looked at Harry with a hopeful expression, its black eyes wide. Harry knelt down, holding his palm a few inches in front of Rowlet's face.

After a moment, Rowlet chirped happily and leapt into Harry's chest. He let out a sound of surprise as Rowlet nuzzled against his chest, but Harry happily hugged Rowlet once she nipped his ear softly with her sharp beak.

"Okay, Rowlet." Harry laughed as the owl danced around him. "We're going to be friends to the end!"

"Take care of your pokémon," Ollivander told him suddenly. "You may not know it, but she will grow up become a force to be reckoned with... Just like her father..."

Unnerved, Harry quickly paid Ollivander his fee and made haste with his pokémon. The old man's voice was getting to him and so was the dusty old shop. They were relieved to see Hagrid's familiar face outside.

"Ah, Harry!" Hagrid exclaimed. "I was wonderin' whether yeh made a run fer it. And I see yeh got yer pokémon too, huh?" he added, smiling as he saw Rowlet squirm in Harry's arms. "My, I remember the day I met dear ol' Fang here...He was a wee little Houndour, but he was a real menace, he was!" Hagrid chuckled lightly.

Harry nodded in response, cradling Rowlet in his arms as he thought about Ollivander and the things he said. The boy quickly decided that he didn't like the old man one bit.

XxXxX

"Hagrid, can I ask you a question?"

Hagrid nodded, accidentally slopping some of his giant-sized smoothie on his coat. "'Course yeh can, Harry. Fire away."

Harry sipped some more of his shake. The next two hours had been wasted away with Harry spending time with Rowlet, who had quickly become his best friend along with Hagrid, and roaming around Graystone City. The owl kept hooting excitedly all the way, mostly because Harry suspected she was cooped up in that 'prison' much like him. Harry knew what it felt like to be kept in solitary confinement for eternity, and he would never put Rowlet in her pokeball unless he absolutely had to.

It turned out that they were currently on Diagon Avenue, which was the most popular place in all of Omnis. There were five avenues that made up Graystone City: Diagon, Ezrat, Scamander, Morgana and Knockturn Avenues. By now Harry and Hagrid (Rowlet included) had roamed on Diagon, Ezrat and Scamander Avenues, and were currently drinking smoothies in a fine café on Diagon Avenue.

Harry shook his shake, then took a deep breath and looked at Hagrid seriously. "Hagrid, back when I was with Mr Ollivander, he told me that everyone expects great things from me. What did he mean by that?"

Hagrid's face paled and his grin vanished in an instant. "I knew yeh'd know 'bout it if yeh came here," he said in a low voice. "I should give them ruddy Dursleys a few blows fer not tellin' yeh the truth. But no matter. Better now than Hogwarts."

Hagrid let out a heavy sigh, and he looked at Harry dead in the eye. "Yeh see, 'bout thirty years ago, before yeh were born, a group rose in Omnis...They called 'emselves Death Eaters."

"Death Eaters?" Harry repeated.

Hagrid nodded. "Tha's righ'. Anyway, you've heard of them criminal organisations – Team Rocket, Cipher, Team Galactic, ter name a few – but none of 'em went as bad as the Death Eaters, though Rocket's a close second. Anyway, they took it on a whole new level, they did."

Hagrid paused for a moment, his expression grim. "Anyway, the Death Eaters thought tha' pokémon should only belong to them old families – families which had trainers for generations. Purebloods, they called themselves, an' they decided tha' those of the 'lesser families'," he spat mockingly, "shouldn't have the righ' ter train pokémon. Tha's all a bunch of codswallop, lemme tell ya.

"The Death Eaters had a leader. His name was..." Hagrid's face darkened considerably, and his eyes flashed with fear. "V-V-Voldemort. He was the biggest, meanest bully on the playground. He was the reason that there was strife in Omnis for almost three decades. He believed tha' he should be the ruler of this world, an' he believed that no one could stop him. The problem was tha' he was righ'."

Hagrid took another sip of his shake before he continued.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, he'll be the one in charge at Hogwarts, he created a group ter fight off the Death Eaters. There were loads of people, all of 'em who knew the risks of actively participatin' in this; I was one of 'em an' so were yer parents.

"Yer parents were one of 'em who did the most in fightin' off the Death Eaters an' You-Know-Who," Hagrid told the boy. "They were a rallyin' point durin' those dark days, an' for a while, it seemed ter be workin'. They were the ones who carried out in destroyin' so many of the Death Eater hideouts and You-Know-Who was gettin' more furious by the minute. Next thing we knew, he was targetin' yer mum an' dad.

"When Dumbledore got wind of this, he sent yer mum an' dad – an' yeh, since yeh were only a baby – ter a secure location – the Surrey region. But You-Know-Who found out and he went to yer house an'..."

Hagrid sniffled; it was clear he was struggling to keep the tears back.

"You-Know-Who took out yer dad firs'. With him outta the way, he went after yer mum. By then, she knew it was already too late, but she was brave an' clever, see. She wasn' going ter go down with a fight and leave yeh ter tha' bastard's mercy." Hagrid's face twisted into a fierce scowl, tears still leaking out of his eyes. "Anyway, after a long fight, yer mum defeated You-Know-Who and his pokémon, but You-Know-Who managed to k— finish her off, too. But she did manage to save yeh, though. Yer the only one to survive tha' fierce battle."

Hagrid pulled out an enormous handkerchief and dabbed his eyes with it. "Tha's why yer famous, Harry. Yer the Boy Who Lived."

Harry didn't say anything as these words sunk into him. He was too shocked to find out the truth, which was much, much worse that the lies his uncle and aunt had told him.

Silent tears flowed down his cheeks but he quickly wiped them away before Hagrid would notice them. The large man looked at Harry, his eyes welled with tears too. He hated telling Harry the bitter truth but he couldn't be kept in the dark forever. In fact, it would be worse to go to Hogwarts and know nothing about his past at all.

"In fact," Hagrid continued once he'd wiped the tears from his eyes, "Voldemort's the reason yeh don't find many pokémon in Surrey. After the war concluded, 'em officials an' whatnot decided to completely bar trainers from their tiny hovel. They thought that pokémon were too dangerous for their people."

"Thank you, Hagrid," Harry told the giant of a man after a long pause. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

"None of tha', Harry," Hagrid sniffled. "Yeh needed tha'. I couldn't not tell yeh the truth 'bout yer parents, not after what lies the Dursleys told you..." he added with a glower.

There was another long pause where only the sound of sipping was heard. "So, Hagrid..." Harry swung his legs back and forth, his heels clicking against the sidewalk. "What do we do now?"

Hagrid winced, as if the answer troubled him. "Well..." He smiled sheepishly at the boy. "We've got ter get yeh home, don' we?"

XxXxX

 **A/N: Not much to say here, other than the fact that it was relatively easy pulling out this chapter. Also, I changed Harry's starter pokémon to Rowlet, which had been my choice ever since Sun/Moon came out! Hedwig was Harry's first connection to the Magical world (save Hagrid) and I wanted it to be the same in this fic.**

 **Thanks to everyone who favourite'd, followed and reviewed last chapter. Now for the review responses:**

 **Pokemonpotter2005:** _Thank you for your kind words, and you got your wish :)_

 **Guest:** _I just read through chapter one and I realised where the mistake was. This was originally going to be a place where Harry and the Dursleys already knew about pokémon, but that was pretty stupid and I changed all the major mistakes, although I now see that I didn't clear all of them out, lol. As for Regulus, no, he won't be a primary antagonist, since Mr Chaos has already done that and I have qualms on doing similar stuff. I actually felt bad for RAB in the books because, in the end, he gives Voldy a kick in the nuts, so I MIGHT give him his deserved glory in this fic._

 **Don't forget to favourite, follow and/or review! Happy reading!**


	3. The Hogwarts Express

It didn't take much time for Hagrid to take Harry back to Privet Drive. Aside from picking up a mysteriously small package from a bank called Gringotts, Hagrid had had nothing else to do and spent a fair amount of time with Harry before releasing Claydol and teleporting them away.

"Stay safe, Harry!" Hagrid said as he waved a massive hand.

As expected, the Dursleys gave Harry the friendliest welcome they could muster when he hesitantly knocked on the door to pronounce his presence.

"Came back, did you?" Vernon snarled, his face twisting into a scowl as he saw his nephew's thin frame at the doorstep.

Harry simply stared right back at Vernon with feigned innocence, which seemed to infuriate him even more. The two were locked in a staring contest for several long seconds before Vernon gave in with a violent snort and reluctantly trudged back into the living room, a bit disappointed at the lack of reaction.

Harry shrugged and entered the house before hauling himself to Dudley's second bedroom, which the Dursleys had very reluctantly given him after being persuaded – or rather, _threatened_ – by Hagrid.

After dinner, Harry rushed up to his room and quickly released Rowlet, who immediately hopped onto the bed before cocking her head curiously at Harry.

"Hey, Rowlet," he said, smiling as the avian beamed up at him. "How are you feeling?"

Rowlet hooted happily in response, ruffling her feathers as she did so. Harry laughed and seated himself on the bed near her and tentatively placed his hand over her head.

"This is where we're going to be staying for a while," he told her as he stroked the bird, who looked doubtful. "I know it isn't much, although it's all we've got right now. But I promise you that we'll have a lot of fun together. Alright?"

Rowlet hooted and flapped her wings. Harry almost jumped as the owl landed on his shoulder, her talons digging slightly into his covered flesh. Rowlet nipped his ear affectionately, although it wasn't painful.

She spent some time doing that until an idea formed in Harry's mind. "Hey, Rowlet," he said. "Do you want a nickname, like Hagrid's Houndoom?"

The bird hooted in reply and Harry racked his brains for a few moments as he thought up a name for his friend. Names like Ariel, Talon, Plume and Feather (as opposed to Heather) were quickly discarded until he finally remembered a name he'd read from one of his textbooks during the evening.

"How about Hedwig?"

For the rest of the month the Dursleys had taken to ignoring Harry and the newly designated Hedwig. Apart from making him cook meals and do a few chores, Vernon, Petunia and Dudley pretended as if Harry had never existed. But it wasn't like he minded; in fact, Harry rather enjoyed this type of treatment and decided that life with the Dursleys wasn't so bad, after all.

He spent most of his free time either playing with Hedwig or reading about pokémon. Apart from Hedwig, Fang, and Claydol, Harry knew next to nothing about them as a species and didn't even know how many different types were there in all. According to his pokédex, pokémon were classified into eighteen different types: fire, grass, water, electric, ground, ice, fighting, to name a few. The dex had told him that Hedwig was a grass- and flying-type pokémon, and that although there were over 800 pokémon currently known to the world, there were many more waiting to be discovered.

And, before he knew it, the day to leave for Hogwarts had finally arrived.

XxXxX

It was a twelve hour journey from the coast of Surrey to Graystone City. Harry had slept most of the way. Hagrid had ordered a special ferry specifically for the boy, and Harry had been so excited that he'd waited for his ride for an hour with Hedwig on his shoulder.

When they finally arrived, Harry quickly paid the boatman the fee and made his way to his destination: King's Cross Station.

As he looked at the multitude of trains passing through the station, Harry wondered if travelling alone was such a good idea. He spun quickly in his spot, his breaths quickening as the fear in his chest grew from the hundreds of people bustling around him without giving him a second glance. Hedwig, his only support, was perched on his shoulder, and by the way her talons were digging into his flesh even she was feeling nervous as her curious eyes roved around the place.

Harry looked at the train ticket in his hand once again. _Platform 9 3/4_. He had no idea where said platform was, and he was too scared to ask a fellow traveler for its location. Even when he did muster the courage to ask someone, they'd pass by before even a single syllable could escape from his tongue! He badly wanted to run back to the Dursleys, but the presence of the Rowlet on his shoulder quickly made him change his mind.

After shifting from platforms 9 and 10 every few seconds, Harry felt like simply breaking down and crying. He trusted Hagrid, but right now he was having doubts about the large man. He wondered whether Hagrid was a conman and was probably laughing his lungs out at home, like, _Oh my God! Did he really believe tha' – bwahahaha!_

"Here, every— Ron, platform nine and three-quarters is _here_! Come here _this instance!_ "

Harry whipped around in the source of the sound. It was a plump woman, with a mane of fiery red hair surrounded by – presumably – her children, since all five of them had similar red hair.

The redheaded boy she'd been shouting at scowled and punched his one of his taller brothers – who, incidentally had a twin – in the gut while the girl of the group giggled at their antics. The woman sighed heavily pulled the boy named Ron closer.

"Alright, everyone, come closer…Percy, you go first."

Percy seemed to be the oldest of the five, with horn rimmed glasses and an exceptionally haughty expression on his face. He positioned himself several meters in front of a pillar between platforms nine and ten before strolling at the pillar while pushing a trolley stacked with two trunks and other equipment…

… and he promptly vanished into the wall.

Harry's eyes bugged out and his mouth hung open as he stared at the spot where the boy had disappeared. There was not a hint that he'd been present before, and while Harry felt alarmed he found the woman and her remaining four children look satisfied. The small girl, while her shock of red hair, looked slightly awestruck.

"Alright Fred, you next…" the woman said, pointing at one of her sons.

The boy she'd been pointing at let lout a despairing sigh. "I'm not Fred, I'm George!"

"Honestly woman," his twin deadpanned, "you call yourself our mother?"

The woman sighed. "Oh, sorry, George. Do go on now."

"Alright." One of the twins walked to the spot and grinned cheekily at his mom before running at the pillar, trolley in hand. "Oh, and I'm only joking – I am Fred!" And he burst into gales of laughter before he too vanished into the pillar.

"Those two!" the woman grumbled as the other twin too rushed at the pillar, although with brief amusement.

Determined not to lose them, Harry quickly walked towards the redheaded lady and her remaining two children. He gulped two times before he could speak and the boy named Ron was already beginning his charge at the pillar.

"E-Excuse me," he said, his voice shaking. "I…I was wondering how you could get through…?"

The lady peered down at him and her face broke into a cherry smile. "How to get onto the platform?" she finished. "Yes, why not! My son Ron's starting this year too," she added proudly, looking at the boy next to her who seemed like he could care less, "so don't worry. I'm Molly Weasley, and these are Ron and Ginny." Ron gave a half-hearted nod of acknowledgement while the girl – Ginny, he remembered – waved eagerly at him with a smile extremely similar to her mother.

"I'm Harry," he introduced. "This is, well…my first time here, so…"

Molly Weasley smiled warmly at him. "No problem, dear. Anyway, in order to get onto the platform, you need to run straight through the pillar. You see, the pillar isn't exactly a pillar – it's actually a teleportation barrier which transports you to platform nine and three-quarters. Hogwarts has its own train separated from the rest, so that you don't have to push through the crowd. Why don't you give it a try?"

Harry hesitated; this sounded a bit dodgy to him. "Er…Is it safe?"

"Of course it is!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed. "Why don't you go first, Ron, and give Harry here a grasp on the situation?"

Ron nodded, his freckled face clearing up in relief as he strode in line with the pillar. He took a running start, and, a few seconds later, promptly vanished into it.

Harry stared for a second before looking up at Mrs Weasley, who looked back at him expectantly.

"Right," he said, nodding, his grip tightening around the handlebars. He felt Hedwig's claws dig deeper into his shoulder, but he didn't care; his nerves were acting up as he realized he was treading into unknown elements.

"Close your eyes, dear," Mrs Weasley calmed him in a soothing voice. "It helps a lot."

"Good luck," he heard Ginny say, and he was off. Harry found his heart pounding, the fear of crashing into the rock-hard pillar growing by every passing second as he came closer and closer—

Harry felt a jerk behind his navel and pressure over his entire body, although the discomfort went away as quickly as it came. The Rowlet on his shoulder had loosened her grip on him considerably. He kept his eyes closed for a few more seconds until curiosity got the better of him and forced him to snap his eyes open to take in the view in front of him.

It took several seconds for him to process everything. It was, in one word, _splendiferous_. The brand new platform he was standing on was packed with people, and, more importantly, pokémon. Pokémon of different shapes, colors, sizes, _everything_. Most of the children were dressed like him, all chatting animatedly or hugging their parents goodbye. Pokémon were running along the platform, while tighter knots of older students were checking out each others' pokédexes and collections and even junk sizes and, sitting next to this cacophony, with plumes of smoke billowing from it, was a great scarlet steam engine bearing the words written in magnificent gold: Hogwarts Express.

Harry grinned at Hedwig. "This is amazing, isn't it?"

Hedwig hooted excitedly, her black eyes wide with exhilaration.

Harry looked around, half-expecting to see Molly Weasley and her daughter Ginny behind him, but didn't. He shrugged; they'd probably gone off to meet up with the rest of the family, and although it didn't matter he felt a twinge of guilt for not thanking the matronly woman for her help.

He didn't know anyone and it wasn't like he was good at making friends either, so he decided to haul his luggage on board and get onto the train, which was easier said and done. After three failed attempts, Harry was ready to give it up as a bad job when a familiar face entered his visage.

"Need a hand?" a cheery voice said. Harry recognized the boy as Fred Weasley – or was it George? They looked completely identical. In any case, the two twins walked up to him and grinned at the dark-haired boy.

Harry nodded fervently. "Yes, please."

In no time, Harry's trunk was safely inside the train. The twins looked rather pleased with themselves and clapped each other on the back.

"Thanks a lot," Harry said genuinely.

"No problem!" said Fred. "Always happy to help out an ickle firstie—"

"Unless it's a Slytherin—" George added.

"Or even ickle Ronniekins!"

"True, o' brother of mine."

"True, true…"

"True, true…true."

The duo nodded sagely for a moment before cackling wildly. Harry cracked a grin at their antics, which soon stopped after a moment. The two of them hopped off the train, gave a quick bow and rushed off to wherever they were heading.

After that, Harry dragged his trunk to an empty compartment and immediately seated himself next to the window. As he scratched Hedwig under the wings, he watched the Weasleys begin to make their goodbyes. He wondered how nice it would be if his own parent had still been alive and given him such a warm send-off.

He felt an unfamiliar spark of pure rage in his chest as soon as he thought of them, because his mind immediately bounced to Voldemort. Ever since he'd gotten back to the Dursleys after his trip with Hagrid, he'd spent a good amount of time brooding over the man who'd brought such misfortune upon not only Harry, but also the entire region of Omnis. Harry wasn't a boy who got angry easily; heck, he rarely even got angry. But this man – Voldemort – had made him feel such harsh emotions and it was probably a good thing.

Because, when they'd finally meet, Harry would tear him apart.

He was jarred out of his thoughts when he heard the compartment door slide open. Harry's head whipped in that direction, but his shoulders sagged in relief when he recognized the intruder.

It was the young redhead, Ron, a sheepish grin of his face as he stuck his head in. "Sorry, but everywhere else is full…Do you mind if I join you?"

"Sure!" Harry beamed. Maybe he'd even get to make friends with him.

"Thanks," said Ron, plopping down on the seat opposite to Harry. The two boys sat in a long, awkward silence before Ron thrust a hand at the other boy. "I'm Ron, Ron Weasley."

Harry happily shook the hand. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter," he replied, accidentally copying Ron's stutter and wincing. He hoped he hadn't sounded rude.

Instead, Ron's eyes bugged out, threatening to fall out of their sockets. After a stunned silence, he muttered, "Bloody hell…" His voice was awestruck. "You're Harry Potter?!"

Harry squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "Y-Yeah," he said with a nod, feeling a bit nervous.

Ron ogled at Harry with entirely new interest. "No friggin' way! Like, the Boy Who Lived, _Harry Potter_?"

Another nod.

"Coo!" he exclaimed. "I heard you were sent to live with some relatives with no pokémon at all. How were they like?"

Harry sighed and looked down. "They were…not very nice," he said lamely. "I don't like talking about them."

Ron looked at him pitifully and nodded slowly, and hastily tried to change the topic. "Hey, is that Rowlet yours?" he asked excitedly. When Harry nodded, he grinned. "Well, what's his name?"

"Hedwig," Harry answered, "and she's a girl."

"Oh." Ron smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

When the woman with the snack cart came by, Harry immediately perked up and purchased a wide variety of sweets and food items for himself, since he'd never before had gotten to eat anything of his liking. Ron, on the other hand, flushed in embarrassment and muttered something about having brought sandwiches. Feeling sorry for him, Harry ended up trading the majority of his goodies for three of Ron's sandwiches, which were corned beef.

As they gorged on several goodies, Ron and Harry took to exchanging stories. Well, it was mainly Ron who did the talking, since Harry listened to everything Ron told him about the pokémon world. Gyms, Contest Halls, Battle Chateaus…everything sounded amazing.

"So, it's like, once you collect eight gym badges, you get to participate in the regional Pokémon League," said Ron, who was currently explaining the league system. Harry listened eagerly, petting his Rowlet, who had already fallen asleep. "There are a total of eight gyms in the region, and they even hand out TMs along with badges – I'll tell you about TMs later," he added upon noticing Harry's confused expression. "Anyways, if you win the Conference, you get to battle the Elite Four and then the Champion and if you defeat them then you become the Champion!"

Harry frowned; this seemed a hit confusing to him, especially the last part when Ron had said everything in one go. "So…So where does Hogwarts come into play, Ron?"

Ron shrugged, but a smile was forming on his face. He rarely got to act like he knew everything, what with having five brothers who kept outshining him, and so the redhead was making the most out of his opportunity. "Hogwarts gives people a more rounded education. It teaches you how to care for pokémon, create your own supplies, and if you don't wanna become a trainer then they'll even teach ya to coordinate and stuff – but that's for people who can't handle training."

Harry nodded thoughtfully as he finished his sandwich. "Oh…So what are you going to do, Ron?"

The redhead rolled his eyes. "What do ya think, mate? I'ma enter the Knights Conference and steamroll the competition! Everybody wants to become Champion at least once in their life, Harry. The fame, the glory…Not the mention the money! I mean, they give you—"

Ron didn't get to finish his monologue, because just then the compartment door slid open and in came a girl with a shock of bushy brown hair.

"Excuse me," she said, "have either of you seen a Palpitoad around here? I've been trying to help Neville find it for him, but we just can't find it." A chubby boy right behind the girl stuck his head inside the compartment timidly when his name was called, and looked at Harry and Ron in worry.

"What does a Palpitoad look like?" Harry asked in confusion. Ron told him to check his pokédex and that's what he did.

After taking a long look at the creature on the screen (which looked more or less like an ovular tadpole with bulbous bumps around its head) Harry shook his head and frowned sympathetically at the boy – Neville, he remembered. "Sorry," he apologized. "By the way, have you checked places where there's water? It says here on the pokédex that it's a water-type pokémon, so…"

The girl's eyes lit up and she beamed at Neville. "You know, that's a great idea!" Neville nodded timidly while the girl turned to Harry and beamed even further. "Thanks a lot! Let's – oh, my name's Hermione Granger, by the way. And you are…?"

"Ron Weasley."

"Harry Potter."

"Are you really?" she asked in a delighted tone. "I read about you in _Modern History_ and _Great Events of the Twentieth Century!_ "

Harry blinked. "There are books…written about me?" he asked, incredulous.

"Well, the _entire_ books aren't about you," Hermione said with a huff, "but certain aspects do talk about how you survived that night in Godric's Hollow. Of course, I don't believe most of them, since you are the only person who was there that night, but—"

"Her…my…nee…" Neville hissed, tugging at the bushy haired girl's hand, "let's go!"

"Oh! Right." Neville left the scene, leaving Hermione all alone with the two boys. "Anyway…thanks for your help!"

Ron shook his head once she'd left the compartment. "Mental," he muttered. "A Ravenclaw if I ever saw one."

"What's a Ravenclaw?" Harry asked in puzzlement.

"Blimey, you don't know? At Hogwarts you get sorted into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin," Ron informed. "The four houses stand for something, and it's kinda like you're put into your house based on your personality."

"Where do you want to be sorted?"

"Gryffindor, of course," Ron answered immediately. "That's the house of the brave! My whole family's been sorted into Gryffindor, a far as I can remember. Ravenclaw wouldn't be the worst, but that's where all the smart ones go. I don't think I'll get in there, not when Percy didn't.

"I guess Hufflepuff won't be bad, either," the redhead mused, stuffing another cookie in his mouth. "They stand for loyalty and hard work. Slytherin would be the worst, though," he added, his face suddenly turning sour. "Mind you, if I get sorted into Slytherin I'll just Hyper Beam them and ask them to choose all over again."

Harry laughed at that. "What's so bad about Slytherin, anyway? Even Fred and George don't seem to like them."

"You-Know-Who was a Slytherin," Ron muttered darkly. "As a matter of fact, nearly everyone in Slytherin turns out bad. Most Darks manifest their powers there too. It's basically like you mark yourself as a bad guy if you get into that house."

"Then I'm definitely not going into Slytherin," Harry decided, bad thoughts about said house entering his mind. He brooded for a few short seconds before shaking his head and probing another question at his new friend. "Anyway, Ron, you haven't shown me _your_ starter pokémon. What is it?"

Ron's face brightened and he quickly unclipped a pokeball from his belt. "Pyro, let's go!"

In a flash, a small, curious creature formed on Ron's lap. It had a thin, long snout, blue fur on the top of its body and pale yellow fur on the underside. Four red spots were present on its back, which instantly flared and erupted flames the instant Harry brought his hand close to it.

"Careful!" Ron warned. The shrew-like creature squeaked and scuttled up into Ron's arms, where it curled into a ball and cooed in content. The redhead chuckled as he petted his pokémon, quickly lulling it to sleep.

"What kind of pokémon is that?" Harry asked, curious.

"This one's called a Cyndaquil," Ron enlightened, "but his name is Pyro. He's a bit shy, but he'll warm up to you."

Harry winced at the pun, but didn't say anything. He kept looking at the Cyndaquil and grinned at Ron.

"So was Pyro the pokémon you got from Ollivander's?" Harry said, drawing Ron's attention from his Cyndaquil.

"Yup," the redhead replied, popping the 'p'. "I've got another one, but…"

Harry's eyes lit up, eager to see more pokémon. "Can I see it?"

Ron shrugged, but nevertheless tossed his second pokeball. The capture device snapped open, sending forth a small, purple rodent with sharp buck-teeth. Harry looked at it expectantly for a few seconds before he realized that it was fast asleep.

"That's a Rattata," Ron said, looking at his pokémon in disgust. "His names Scabbers but he's useless, he's always sleeping. I've never ever seen him open his eyes, not even _once_. The only time he wakes up is when it's time to eat. He's been there in my family for years, now, but he never battles."

Right when Harry opened his mouth to say something, the compartment door slid open for the third time. Harry and Ron turned in the door's direction and the latter's face turned red with rage at the sight of a pale faced boy with dirty-blond hair swagger into the cabin. His face was twisted in a sneer and his hands were shoved in the pockets of his trainer jacket, which seemed to be made of velvet. Flanking him were two, thuggish brutes, each with a stupid expression on their face, but it didn't make them less threatening as they flexed their muscly arms.

The pale boy smiled at the duo. "I've been hearing all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment," he drawled, looking from Ron to Harry. The boy's eyes flicked upwards to where Harry's scar was before making eye-contact with him once again. "Is it true?"

Harry blinked. "Yeah, that would be me."

The boy's lips curled up in a smirk. "My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," he introduced. "And these are Crabbe and Goyle." He motioned lazily at the two brutes at his side, who grunted stupidly in response. Draco cast a disgusted look at the pair before continuing smoothly.

"Anyways, I've come to help you, Potter," he drawled in the same lazy tone. "I see you've been hanging around with the wrong sorts—" he sneered at Ron, which caused the lanky boy to clench his fists in anger, "—and I've come to help you. You don't have to sit with a Weasley. Join me. I can help you reintegrate with the trainer community."

Harry felt anger pulse through his veins; even though he didn't know Ron for long, he still felt a certain warmth for the boy and he wouldn't stand anyone insulting his friend. "Thanks," Harry replied coolly, "but no thanks, Draco. I think I can tell the wrong sorts myself."

Draco's pale face flushed angrily at that. "Mind your words, Potter," he leered. "Or else you'll meet the same sticky end as your filthy parents."

"Get lost, Malfoy!" Ron shouted.

Draco smirked. "Oh, but we don't feel like going, do we, boys?" he said, looking between his bodyguards, who cracked grins and their knuckles. "In fact, we won't be leaving for quite some time now, now that I can see that you have a pile of candy waiting for us!"

As Draco took a step forward, Ron snapped. "Pyro, Ember!"

There was complete pandemonium. Ron's Cyndaquil scurried off in front of his trainer and promptly lowered his back, which erupted a blanket of red-hot embers at the three intruders. Goyle yelped, Crabbe staggered back and Draco screamed like a little girl as the flames scorched his expensive jacket.

Pyro wasn't strong enough to actually burn through things, but the marks on Draco's piece of clothing was enough to make the pale boy shriek once again in fear. "You filthy bastards!" he screeched in rage. "Just wait till my father hears about this!"

Ron stomped his foot, and Draco ran away from the scene. Crabbe and Goyle stared at their foes for a moment before they, too, ran away from the scene and after their leader.

"What a jerk!" Ron remarked as he slammed the door shut. "Friggin' Malfoys…"

"Do you know them?" asked Harry.

Ron snorted. "I've _heard_ of them," he replied. "My dad's told me about them. They were followers of You-Know-Who, back when he was in power." The boy nodded to himself; he was on a roll now. "Ol' Lucius Malfoy himself was part of You-Know-Who's inner circle, one of their executives…When his master fell, Lucius claimed that he was coerced into doing such things, controlled by Voldemort. They were found innocent by the ministry but dad says that the main reason for their 'innocence' was their fortune stowed in Gringotts…They think they're so great 'cause they've had generations of trainers in their family, but—"

The compartment door opened a fourth time and Harry groaned as he saw Hermione and Neville pop into the cabin. " _What_ has been going on here?" she demanded, hands on her hips. "You weren't fighting with those boys, were you? You'll be in trouble before you even get to school!"

"Hermione, we didn't start it," Harry defended. "Malfoy came into our compartment and insulted both our families. Do you expect us to keep quiet?"

"Seriously," Ron added. "And what're you two doing here, anyway? Go find your own compartment!"

Hermione flushed and Neville squeaked. "We just came here to tell you that we'll be getting to Hogwarts soon and that you'd better change into your trainer outfits," she snapped, "but if you'd rather stay uninformed, then _fine_!"

Ron's face fell in an instant. "…Sorry," he apologized.

"Huh." Hermione huffed.

It took quite some for them to change, what with Pyro's and Hedwig's excited chitters as their trainers changed into their required uniform, but several minutes later they were ready. They two boys were sporting black jackets and pants, although Ron's were worn out and seemed to be hand-me-downs.

Neville and Hermione had peeked in once again to thank Harry for his bit of advice, and after that he'd asked them to stay. Ron wasn't hot on the idea, but it wasn't like he was against it either. The four introduced themselves to each other before subsequently releasing their pokémon.

It turned out that Neville's Palpitoad (named Trevor) wasn't actually his starter pokémon; he'd received the tadpole as a gift from an uncle when he'd gotten his letter from Hogwarts. While Trevor interacted with Hedwig and Pyro, Neville showed off his actual starter pokémon, which was a small green creature with a large head and a shell on its back. A small plant protruded from the top its head. Neville called it a Turtwig, and he didn't have a nickname. Apparently Turtwig had denied his trainer from giving him a name, and Neville had obliged to his friend's choice.

Hermione, however, had only a single pokémon on hand, just like Harry. It was a small, blue creature, with a pink and white 'hat' which blinked with yellow spots. Harry had received a start when the pokémon had suddenly floated in the air, but Hermione had reassured the dark-haired boy that she was simply using her psychic powers to remain airborne. Hermione called it an Inkay and she too, like Turtwig, did not have a nickname.

As Hermione's Inkay nuzzled up to her trainer, Ron scrambled to the window and immediately pressed his nose to the glass as he gazed excitedly outside. "Look!" he remarked. "We've reached, everybody – it's Hogwarts!"

XxXxX

 **A/N: So this chapter marks the introduction if several characters: Ron, the Weasleys, Draco, to name a few. It's more of less a filler, but it has a bit of substance what with introducing everybody's starter pokémon.**

 **I was originally going to give Ron only Scabbers, but I realized that it would be similar to Mr Chaos' work. Instead, I gave him a fire-type pokémon appropriate for him – a Cyndaquil. Most of Ron's pokémon will have mouse-like characteristics, although those won't be the only pokémon on his team…**

 **After much thought, I gave Neville a Palpitoad instead of a Poliwag. In canon, Trevor is, in fact, a toad, and not a frog, which the Politoed line is based on, and since the Seismitoad line isn't used much, I deemed it appropriate for Neville to have it.**

 **And now, onto the review responses:**

 **LordOfWeirdness** : _Yes it is._

 **ThunderClaw03** : _Thank you for the kind words! Although Harry isn't going to have a completely great time at Hogwarts…_

 **GG (Guest)** : _You got your wish! As for their teams, Harry and Co will be forming their families at a fairly slow pace, so don't expect Harry to catch several pokémon a book. As for suggestions, they are always welcome, although send them in a PM or review._

 **Guest** : _Thank you! I was going to give Harry a Litleo once again, but I decided against it, since Rowlet is a pretty cool pokémon in its own right. I'm glad you enjoyed my choice!_

 **Thanks for reading!**


	4. The Sorting

The train slowed to a halt and within seconds the four of them disembarked, leaving behind their trunks as instructed. All four of them had recalled their pokémon since they didn't want them wandering off. Steam billowed from the great scarlet engine, flowing past their knees as they made their way along the platform, wondering where they were supposed to go.

"Firs' years, firs' years with me!"

"Hagrid!" Harry exclaimed in glee as he recognized the familiar voice and the towering figure a short distance away. A pair of black eyes shone from the mass of hair and the giant's face broke out into a grin.

"Hello there, Harry!" Hagrid greeted cheerfully, holding a rather large torch in his hand as Fang growled next to him. Harry petted the Houndoom, who crooned softly, pleased by the boys gesture. "Seems like yeh got yerself some friends already!"

"Whoa," Ron muttered in awe as he took in Hagrid's enormous body. The redhead looked positively shocked by the sheer size of the man, and he shrank back a little in fear.

"Don't worry," Harry reassured his friend. "Hagrid may look alarming, but he's really nice."

"Uh-huh..."

"You enjoy the ride, Harry?" Hagrid asked.

Harry nodded vehemently. "Yeah!"

"Alright." Hagrid smiled one last time before cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, bellowing, "Firs' years, follow me!"

Harry did as he was told, trailing behind Hagrid as he led them down a worn path. The boy felt excited as he did so, listening attentively as Ron chattered about Hogwarts, Hermione and Neville not too far behind the redhead.

The narrow path suddenly opened onto the edge of a wide, black lake, its waters glimmering under the light of the setting sun. Perched atop a high mountain in the middle of the expanse of water, its windows shimmering, was a humongous castle with an absurd amount of turrets and towers. Harry felt his breath taken away momentarily as he stared at the structure in awe. He'd never seen such a huge thing before.

"Come on then..." Hagrid called, jolting Harry out of his zone. "Four of yeh ter a Lapras!" He pointed at the lake, and Harry finally noticed the pod of large blue pokémon with great spiky shells on their backs floating serenely towards them. "Make sure yeh've got a firm on them spikes! Yeh wouldn't want terms fall inter the lake and get eaten up by the giant Octillery."

Harry's eyes widened in horror at that, but Hagrid assured him in secret. But he wasn't convinced.

He made sure he had a firm hold of the nearest spike as soon as he climbed onto the nearest Lapras, which turned its head back slightly and smiled at him with its soft, brown eyes. It moaned a sound like a musical note, and he instantly felt at ease. Harry smiled nervously and grabbed the spike with his other arm just as Ron, Hermione and Neville joined him on the Lapras.

"This is beautiful," Hermione murmured as she carefully clung onto a spine jutting from the Lapras' shell. Even the more experienced Ron and Neville were completely in awe from the amazing sight.

And then they were off – the Lapras took off, cutting through the lake at a smooth yet fast pace. Harry looked around at his companions: Ron looked eager, Hermione thoughtful, while Neville's face was a mixture of nervous and fright. He kept hugging the spike in front of him like his lifeline and didn't let go of it until the Lapras touched down on the edge of the island that held the castle.

The students got off their rides, most of them still staring at the structure in front of them in awe. The only ones Harry noticed who weren't enjoying themselves were Draco Malfoy and his thuggish cronies flanking him. His dislike for the pale-faced boy was growing by the second.

"What's going to happen now?" Harry asked Ron as Hagrid walked up to a pair of thick, iron doors. Ron just shrugged.

His question was soon answered when Hagrid fiddled with something in one of his many pockets, causing the iron doors to swing open with a mighty groan, revealing a woman, ready to welcome them into the castle. She was rather severe-looking, wearing a white lab coat that was unbuttoned. Her hair was drawn into a tight bun and she pushed her square spectacles with her finger. Harry immediately made a mental note to not cross her.

"Firs' years are here, Professor," Hagrid beamed at her.

The woman nodded. "Thank you, Hagrid." Her voice was crisp and professional. "I will take it from here. Students, if you will follow me."

She whipped around and walked off without a second to lose, and the new students hurried after her, not wanting to be left behind. They followed her up a set of stairs, then another and yet another. Harry noticed that the walls around them were lined with portraits, and occasionally pictures of famous ex-students. Harry barely had time to register their faces before the group of students came to an abrupt halt, and he stood on his toes to get a better view of the lady as she spoke.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "My name is Professor Minerva McGonagall. Before you can begin you education in this institution, you must first partake in a very important ceremony. You will all be brought into the Great Hall, where you will immediately be sorted into your houses. The Sorting Ceremony is a very important one, as it will determine you into your house, which will be like your family during your stay at Hogwarts. Each house – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin – value different qualities and I hope you will bring credit to whichever house you are sorted into."

McGonagall paused for a moment, peering over the delegation of students in front of her. "After the Sorting, dinner will be served, after which you will be led to your dormitories and be handed your timetables tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Understood?"

A murmur of assent broke through the crowd, and McGonagall nodded, satisfied.

As soon as he was led into the Great Hall Harry went slack-jawed. Four long tables were placed along the length of the room. Each table held a group of students having similar expressions: the one on the far left contained cocky smirks, the next one calculating eyes, then uncouth sneers, and the one on the far right smiling faces. Hanging above each table was a humongous banner, swaying slightly: a silver and emerald-green banner with an elegant Arbok; a roaring Pyroar with a blood-red background; a majestic Honchkrow, its black wings unfurled; and a Linoone, lithe and graceful, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

At the front of the hall was a long table holding the staff of Hogwarts. Harry noticed Hagrid settling down into a huge chair meant only for him, as McGonagall led the first-years were led up to the staff table, where there was a comfy stool and a hulking and intimidating ape-like creature standing right behind it, its sharp eyes impassive. It had white and purple fur, and its grey fingers twitched slightly.

"The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin," McGonagall called, her voice ringing through the Great Hall. She then looked at the nervous first-years in front of her. "This is Oranguru. You will sit on the stool and he will sort you into the house in which you belong."

McGonagall took out her pokédex and pressed a button on it, causing a holographic projection of a list to appear in front of her. She cleared her throat, then announced: "Abbott, Hannah!"

Harry adjusted his glasses as a nervous girl scurried over to the stool. Oranguru stared at her with stern, but not cruel, eyes, and raised a grey hand over her head, enveloping both of them in a faint, purple aura.

They waited for a few seconds until Harry heard a deep and calm voice in his mind, bellowing _Hufflepuff!_

Harry flinched and looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. "What was that?" he demanded, a note of panic creeping in his voice.

"That was Oranguru 'speaking' in our minds," Hermione piped up. "I've heard about that – most psychic-type pokémon have the ability to converse telepathically with people...Although it must have the Telepathy ability if it can talk to so many people at one time."

Harry didn't know half of what she was talking about, but he took her word for it. He watched with anticipation as one by one new students walked up to Oranguru as their names were called out, ready to be sorted into their houses.

Harry heard a squeak next to him as McGonagall announced, "Granger, Hermione!" The excited girl rushed up to the stool and shuddered as Oranguru placed a huge hand over her head. The hulking psychic-type took a bit longer to determine her house, but eventually declared _Gryffindor!_ and the table on the far left of the Great Hall cheered as Hermione hurried of to their table.

"Not Gryffindor," Ron moaned next to him. "She'll drive us barmy if we're put in there."

"Cheer up, Ron," Harry comforted, watching Percy Weasley and the twins, Fred and George, cheer enthusiastically.

After a few more names, Neville was called up to be sorted. The chubby-faced boy chewed his lip nervously as he wrung his hands, sweating bullets as he headed for Oranguru. The ape-like pokémon frowned a little in concentration, and after two solid minutes his eyes flashed as he called out _Gryffindor!_ , causing Neville to happily take a seat next to an equally-excited Hermione.

"Malfoy, Draco!" The pale-faced boy swaggered up the stairs and smugly seated himself on the stool. Harry heard Oranguru shout _Slytherin!_ through everyone's minds as soon as he touched Draco's sleek, blond hair. Draco smirked and strutted to the Slytherin table, where all the students welcomed him into their ranks.

"Parkinson, Pansy!"

 _Slytherin!_

"Patil, Padma!"

 _Ravenclaw!_

"Patil, Parvati!"

 _Gryffindor!_

"Perks, Sally-Anne!"

 _Hufflepuff!_

"Potter, Harry!"

Silence ensued, and a sliver of ice ran down his spine as he felt every single eye in the Great Hall swivel onto his scrawny form.

For the first time in his life, Harry felt like he might be having the opportunity to experience stage fright (not that he'd had a lot of experience with that matter).

Murmurs broke into the hall.

"Potter? _The_ Harry Potter?!"

"The Boy-Who-Lived..."

"No frickin' way!"

"Bloody hell...!"

Harry steeled himself and walked slowly towards Oranguru. He tried to ignore the whispers and hisses around him, not liking them in the slightest. For the first time in his life, he was the centre of attention...Hagrid had told him that this would happen, but he'd never thought that it'd make him feel so nervous and jittery.

He closed his eyes and sat upon the stool, and instantly shivered as he felt a chill run down his spine. Harry tried to frown, but his entire body was locked in place.

He panicked. _What the hell is going—_

 _There's no need to worry,_ said a deep, calm voice, which Harry recognised as Oranguru's, in his head. _Harry Potter... Interesting._

 _What's interesting?_ Harry thought back.

 _Hm? Oh, just that I see two paths for you, Harry Potter,_ the voice enlightened. Harry felt feather-light touches poking at his mind. _Each will lead you to success, and you will attain fame and glory. Normally, I sort children into the house that will bring out the best results, but in your case... I will let you choose._

 _The two paths that I see for you are Gryffindor and Slytherin_ , Oranguru's voice said in a monotone. _You will flourish in both. You will attain fame, glory and success and fulfil your destiny... But you must decide._

Harry frowned internally. _So... The choice is up to me?_

 _Yes_. Harry imagined if Oranguru was nodding behind him. _I cannot say which one would be the best for you, and so I leave it up to you._

Harry shuddered. _Obviously not Slytherin,_ he mused.

 _Not Slytherin, eh?_ Oranguru sounded amused. _Are you sure? You would do well in Slytherin, and your house would help you along the way to achieve glory! You have an insatiable thirst to prove yourself – Slytherin would be the best choice!_

 _No_ , Harry thought, a bit forcefully. Perhaps it was his imagination, or what others had told him that was influencing his mindset, but he thought they looked to be an unpleasant lot.

 _I...see_ , Oranguru said in his head. _You are determined; and for that, I sort you into GRYFFINDOR!_

The last word echoed in everyone's mind, and the hall erupted in applause. The Gryffindor table was hollering and cheering the hardest, with Fred and George Weasley linking arms and dancing a jig as they chanted, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry walked shakily over to the Gryffindor table, not noticing the fact that he was given the hardest and loudest cheer yet, he was just so relieved that he wasn't put in Slytherin. After shaking Percy Weasley's hand vigorously, he sat down opposite the Weasley Prefect and continued to watch the Sorting as a spectator.

He barely caught his breath before his eyes strayed to the High Table. Hagrid, who caught his eye, waved at the boy, causing Harry to grin back at the large man. Sitting in the middle in a large, gold chair, was a tall, thin man with a long crooked nose and flowing silver hair, moustache and beard. His bright, blue eyes twinkled at Harry through the half-moon glasses he wore, and Harry smiled back hesitantly.

Harry wrenched his gaze away just in time to hear Ron sorted into Gryffindor. He immediately began clapping, making his palms sting as he vented his emotions. The twins joined a second later, whistling and calling Ron's name as the rest of the table joined in as well.

Ron blushed scarlet as Percy shook his hands vehemently in an overly formal manner, but beamed when his older brother showed him to his seat.

Once "Zabini, Blaise" was sorted into Slytherin, McGonagall switched off her dex and recalled Oranguru in his pokeball. Harry stared longingly at his empty gold plate, his stomach rumbling at the prospect of a feast, but his attention was momentarily diverted to the staff table, where the old man, who had been staring at Harry a little while ago, got to his feet, arms spread wide as he beamed at the students.

"Welcome!" he greeted cheerfully. "I am Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, headmaster of this fine institution. Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words, and here they are: ain't nobody got time for that! Thank you!"

Most of the students cracked grins and snorted, causing Dumbledore to smile even wider.

He sat back down, and everybody clapped and cheered.

Harry didn't know whether he was supposed to laugh or not. "Um... Was that a normal speech for the Headmaster?" he asked Percy uncertainly.

"Oh, Dumbledore's insane, of course," Percy said airily. "Lots of fun, incredibly powerful trainer, but completely bonkers. But no need to think now, Harry. Eat."

Harry went slack-jawed as he stared at the banquet in front of him: roast beef, roast chicken, lamb chops, pork chops, sausages, bacon, steak, ribs...the list seemed endless. He felt drool trickling down his chin as he stared at the food with bulging eyes; it felt like he was in a dream.

Harry automatically started loading his plate up with whatever he could lay his forks on. He practically inhaled his food, shovelling everything in his mouth like a never-ending conveyer belt. Crumbs got everywhere and his cheeks began swelling.

Next to him, Percy smirked. "You seemed almost as bad as Ron for a minute there," he said, Ron scowling at his brother at the remark. "But it looked like you needed that."

Harry didn't reply. He just kept on wolfing down anything that was edible.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of their food were teleported from their plates, which were left sparkling clean. A moment later the desserts appeared. Ice cream, apple pies, puddings, treacle tarts, éclairs...

As Harry let out a burp of satisfaction, the last remains vanished from the plates. He patted his slightly larger belly, his eyelids growing heavy as he felt sleepy, but managed to dismiss his drowsy state momentarily as Dumbledore got to his feet again.

Dumbledore cleared his throat from the podium, stroking his long silver beard. "Ahem – just a few more words until we're all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First-years should notice that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. That is why it is called the Forbidden Forest. I hope this is clear to not only the first-years but also some of our older students." His eyes twinkled in the direction of Fred and George, who scoffed at that. "Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind you that there must be no pokémon battling between students in the halls. Any battles should be supervised in one of the many battlefields of the castle or held outdoors.

"Glade trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."

Harry frowned. What the heck was 'the Glade'? He made a mental note to ask Ron about it later.

"Additionally, I would like to inform you that the third floor corridor on the right-hand side is prohibited to anyone who does not wish to meet a very painful end." Several students laughed; others looked horrified. Harry couldn't help but scoff at Dumbledore's words; surely he was joking...right?

"And lastly, I am proud to welcome back Professor Quirinus Quirrel," Dumbledore continued, to which there was a polite round of applause as Professor Quirrel smiled back nervously, adjusting the purple turban on his head. "He has very heroically agreed to undertake the post of the Battle Instructor after a year of travel."

And on that happy note, Dumbledore sent them off. There were flashes of red light as the older students recalled their pokémon (the first-years simply hadn't got the chance to send their own out) and the hall was filled with noise as everybody prepared to stream out of the hall. Harry and the rest of the first-years were soon found by Percy, who guided them to their dormitory.

Harry groaned, rubbing his sore tummy; the Dursleys hadn't exactly starved him, but they'd only ever given him the bare minimum of food a day, and he wasn't used to eating so much food at once and being forced to walk up several flights of stairs almost immediately after. The Gryffindor common room was located up on the seventh floor, so the walk was a long one. He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he saw the students in front of him come to a halt.

"Here we are," Percy muttered as he stood in front of a doorway, which had the mural of a magnificent Pyroar. Harry blinked in surprise as the picture started to move; the Pyroar rose up on its hind legs and opened its mouth in a roar as its red mane flared with fire, and he realised that it was something like a GIF. "This is the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. To get in, you will require your pokédexes and place it in this scanner right here." Percy pointed to a spot on the door, where there was a small space in the shape of a standard pokédex. "So you must carry your pokédex EVERYWHERE. Please give me your dexes so that I can register you to the Gryffindor database."

The entire process took about ten minutes, with Percy putting pokédex after dex in the scanner so that the first-years would get registered. After everything was done, Percy handed the devices back with a smile while the door slid open with a hiss and allowed the Gryffindors to admit themselves into the common room.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room," Percy declared grandly, with a hint of pride. "Your dormitories can be reached by stepping on one of the teleportation tiles – boys on the left, girls on the right. First-years is the first tile, second-years the next, and so on."

Harry rotated in his spot as he tried to memorise the room. The first thing he realised was that everything was red. The armchairs, the couch, even the blazing fireplace. The floor was lined with a soft, rouge rug. Several students lounged in the chairs, one going even further to doze off on the couch. On the wall hung several paintings of Godric Gryffindor, his golden hair draped on either side of his chiselled face as stared into the unknown with bright, blue eyes. Harry noticed that Godric Gryffindor's hand never left his sword.

Harry immediately stepped onto the warp tile designated for the first-years and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his insides lurch forwards and backwards. After a second the sensation stopped, but he still felt like he wanted to hurl, although the need to sleep quickly overpowered everything else.

Their dormitory held five magnificent four-posters with deep-red velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up (Harry didn't know how, but he was pretty sure the answer was 'pokémon'). Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their PJs and fell into bed.

"Great food, wasn't it?" Ron muttered tiredly as he began breathing in his pillow. Pyro the Cyndaquil had already curled up on his trainer's back, chittering softly.

Harry simply nodded half-heartedly; everybody was too tired to say anything. Before long, all five boys had bid each other goodnight and had retreated to the confines of their beds.

Harry stroked Hedwig, who hooted softly as she drank in the attention, causing the Rowlet's trainer to smile even wider. Hedwig smiled at him through her eyes before flapping her wings and launching herself at a small, gnarled perch that extended from the wall. The owl nuzzled her head into her wing as Harry flipped the light switch.

Before he faded into the realm of dreams, Harry briefly wondered how much he would enjoy his new home.

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 **Whelp, that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, like the others, and that it wasn't much of a bore.**

 **Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites last chapter, and the suggestions for the characters' teams. However, since I have already outlined Harry's, Ron's, and Hermione's teams (not so much for Neville) I'd prefer suggestions for characters like the professors, Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, etc.**

 **As for the Sorting Hat, I rather like my choice. I was originally going to go with Xatu, but Oranguru just seems more...ancient and mystical than most other psychic-types. Plus it also helps that he resembles his trainer, Dumbledore.**

 **The next chapter will feature Harry and Co going about their classes in Hogwarts, and it will come up in a couple of weeks at earliest, but no promises. I won't be having a strict update schedule for this unlike one of my other current projects, _Trainer: Kanto Arc_ , simply because it's much better to update whenever I please rather than continuously pump out a chapter a week. It's whatever works best for me.**

 **As always, make sure to review, follow and/or favourite! Happy reading!**


	5. Classes

**Hello! Apologies in advance for the length of this chapter, but I really wanted to get the next update out. Suffice to say that then next one will be much bigger (probably 10k words) to make up for this chapter. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy chapter five! Make sure to leave your thoughts in the white box below.**

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The next few days were a blur for Harry. The very next morning, he realised a little too late that he should've paid more attention to the Hogwarts map, because the castle was _big_.

They spent about an hour wandering through the castle, trying to find their way to the great hall to collect their timetables from Professor McGonagall. In the end they only managed to somehow find themselves at doorway to Ravenclaw Tower and were saved only by a smug sixth-year who'd taken pity on their tiny forms, leading them personally to their desired destination.

Harry's first lesson had been Pokémon Biology with Professor McGonagall, and Harry had been quite right in thinking that she wasn't one to be messed with. Strict, sharp and clever, she gave them a talking-to the second they had settled down in her class.

"Pokémon Biology may not be the most interesting class Hogwarts has to offer," she said, "but without enough knowledge of pokémon as a species you will never make it far as a trainer. Anyone messing around, or doing anything that will disrupt my class will leave and not come back. Understood?"

Without waiting for a reply, McGonagall had set to work. The first lesson was an overview of pokémon, which Harry found very helpful. Abilities, types, attacks...The list was never-ending. However, it did not mean that she hadn't gotten some real work done; by the time her class had ended, all of the students were nursing sore wrists and were complaining at the amount of homework they'd received, except for Hermione Granger.

The next class was Pokémon Coordination with Professor Flitwick, a tiny little man who had to stand up on his Gogoat to see over his desk. At the start of the first lesson he took the register, and when he reached Harry's name he squeaked excitedly and toppled out of sight, causing the boy to blush in mild embarrassment.

After that was Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, which was taken up by a plump little woman, not unlike Mrs Weasley, by the name of Pomona Sprout. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle, where they learnt about different types of berries, how to take care of them and what they were useful for.

The most boring class without a doubt was History of Omnis, which was the only class taken by a _pokémon_. Harry had been utterly shocked when he'd seen an Alakazam teleport into the classroom, his face depicting utter boredom. The boy had begun wondering whether this whole thing was a joke, only for Hermione to calm him down by saying that some pokémon were incredibly smart, and Alakazam being professors weren't unheard of. The Alakazam had connected with their minds telepathically and declaring its name as Binns before droning on and on, not even giving the students a few seconds to scribble down some notes – even Hermione was finding it difficult.

"Bloody Alakazam," Ron grumbled, scowling as they walked out of the class. "This is why pokémon shouldn't be allowed to teach! Binns is just a stupid yellow fox—"

 _I can still hear you, Mr Weasley,_ a snide voice crept into their minds, causing Ron and Harry to stop as they recognized it as Binns the Alakazam's. Ron glowered even fiercer before stomping his foot as Binns chuckled at his frustration. _Or at least your thoughts_ , Binns continued in that same, snarky voice. _My, my...But since when have you acquired the habit of thinking anyway?_

Once they were out of earshot (or was it mindshot?) Ron exploded once again. "Ruddy poofter...I swear to Merlin, once I'm seventeen I'll challenge Binns to a battle if it's the last thing I do!"

"Enough, Ronald," Hermione sighed. She only used Ron's full name when she was particularly annoyed with him. "You just can't talk about a teacher that way—"

"He's a _pokémon_!" Ron reasoned. "Who cares, anyway? It's not like he's gonna open his mouth... Not like he can," he added smarmily.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Harry beat her to it. "What's the next class?" he asked, which caused the bushy-haired girl to immediately divert her focus to her pokédex, in which their timetables were stored.

"Pokémon Battling," she said, and Ron's eyes lit up. Even Neville, who hadn't spoken much the entire day, made a sound of exclamation, silently exhilarated at the thought of having a pokémon battle. "Come on, let's go! If we reach there early we might be able to study up before class."

Ron opened his mouth to refute that suggestion, but Hermione had already begun dragging the three boys (with the help of Inkay) towards the Battling classroom.

The Pokémon Battling classroom was, in one word, _huge_. It was shaped like a stadium. There was a medium-sized battlefield in the centre, and surrounding it in a semicircle were benches for students to sit, like bleachers. Directly opposite to that, on the other end of the classroom, was a podium, probably for the instructor to stand. Right behind the podium was a large-screen television, which was used in case of video clips or presentations.

Professor Quirrel was already in the room, his purple turban wrapped tightly around his head as he wrung his hands in nervousness. When the students filed in and sat down, he walked up to the podium and smiled uneasily at them.

Pokémon Battling was a class that they'd really looked forward too, but five minutes into it they realised that it was a bit of a joke. Quirrel, in a nervous stutter, informed them that they wouldn't get a chance to battle with their pokémon much and spend most of their time learning theory of battle, causing the entire class to groan. Harry however, was still excited, but soon felt his eyelids growing heavy as Quirrel began boring them in a way somewhat similar to Binns. Only Hermione seemed to be able to concentrate.

"What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron one fine Friday as he piled ketchup on his sausages.

"Double Potions with the Slytherin," groaned Ron as he glanced at his orange pokédex. He looked at Harry with a grimace. "Snape's head of Slytherin house. Fred and George always say that he favours Slytherin – let's see if it's true."

As Harry was about to dig into his heavy breakfast, he felt his own pokédex vibrate in his pocket. Frowning, the boy reached for the device, eyes widening slightly and a grin creeping on his face as soon as he flipped it open.

"What's up, mate?" Ron said thickly (his mouth was full of egg).

"A message from Hagrid," the boy replied as be handed it over to Ron. "See for yourself."

 _Dear Harry,_ _I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cuppa with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back._ _Hagrid_

Harry snatched the pokédex back and typed, " _Yes please, see you later_ " before pressing the send button. He waited for a few seconds and smiled in satisfaction when the message was sent to Hagrid.

Potions took place in the bowels of the castle. The gloomy surroundings gave Harry the creeps and it was considerably colder than up in the main castle. Harry immediately tightened his cloak, shivering slightly as the cold got to him, and sat down with Ron at a table that wasn't too near and too far from the teacher's desk.

The Potions classroom had strange, preserved parts of pokémon floating in huge jars on shelves that covered every centimetre of wall space between the closets. Harry had spent enough time back at Surrey to recognise some of them, such as the carapace of a Shelmet, which was slightly dissolved in certain spots. He tried asking Ron about some of the more interesting specimens, but the redhead had his attention captured by his dex, which was currently being used as a gaming device.

Harry had just finished setting his things on the table when the potions master swept into the room.

There was something quiet and deadly as the man stalked between the children's desks, his black eyes glittering as he scrutinised each and every student in the room. His black lab coat was unkempt, his hair greasy and spotted, his skin sallow. The man sneered at the swarm of students surrounding him, parting the curtain of greasy hair as he stood behind his mahogany desk.

"Pokémon away," said Professor Severus Snape. " _Now_."

Harry and a few others who had released their pokémon quickly scrambled for their pokeballs before recalling them. Like McGonagall, Snape's very presence demanded silence and obedience without effort and Harry immediately knew that he was not to be trifled with.

Like Flitwick, Snape started the class by taking the register and, like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name.

"Ah, yes. Harry Potter...Our new – _celebrity_."

Draco Malfoy and his thuggish cronies sniggered behind their hands, and Harry ignored them. He got the feeling that Snape didn't like him.

Once he was finished calling out the names, Snape looked up at the class. His eyes were dark, but hollow and empty, like black holes.

"You are here," Snape began in a quiet voice which the students at the back strained to hear, "to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. Very few truly understand the importance of this class until they are lost deep within the caves of Mt Vulcan, down to their last potion and at the mercy of an enraged Nidoking. When you are out there in the wild, the ability to successfully brew the proper concoctions may very well save your and your pokémon's lives. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses..." Snape's lips were barely parting as he said these words. "I can teach you how to bring your pokémon back from the brink of death, cool the fires of a Moltres, wake your monsters from a Darkrai's nightmare – if you aren't as great a pack of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Silence followed this speech, the only noise being Neville's nervous gulp behind Harry and Ron. The pair of them exchanged looks with raised eyebrows – Snape was just getting creepier and creepier.

Snape seemed to have noticed the look on Harry's face, because his eyes suddenly jumped to where Harry was sitting, glittering evilly.

"Potter!" snapped the Potions master, causing Harry to flinch. "Where are Spelon berries native to?"

Harry blinked. _What_? He looked at Ron, who was equally stumped, although Hermione's hand had shot up in the air.

"I...I don't know, sir," Harry said.

"Tut, tut," Snape said silkily. "Fame clearly isn't everything."

Hermione's hand was still in the air, but Snape ignored her.

"Let's try again," said Snape. "Potter, which berry is the main ingredient in the formation of a burn heal?"

Hermione's hand shot up even higher, but Harry forced himself to stare right back into those black holes of Snape. He'd never even heard of a burn heal before, or whatever the heck Snape was talking about. Hell, he'd just known about the pokémon world for little over a month!

"I don't know, sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh?" Snape's lips curled into a sneer. "Final try, Potter." He was still ignoring Hermione's hand. "What is the different between a max potion and a full restore?"

This time Hermione stood up, her hand stretching towards the ceiling of the classroom. That did it.

"I don't know, but Hermione does, why don't you ask her?" Harry said icily, his patience wearing thin.

There was a ripple of laughter through the class, which quelled instantly under the glower Snape sent in every student's direction.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. Then he turned to Harry. "For your information, Potter, Spelon berries are native to the Hoenn region. The main ingredient to concoct a burn heal is the Rawst berry, which can be used as a remedy for burns but to a lesser extent. And while max potions can bring a pokémon back to full health, a full restore also cures any status ailments inflicted on the pokémon. Well? Why aren't you writing this all down?"

There was a sudden rummaging for pens and paper. Over the noise, Snape said, "And ten points will be taken from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter."

After that, the class had begun for real, although things hadn't gotten better for the Gryffindors. Dean Thomas had snickered slightly when Snape had said that their first potion would literally be 'Potion', causing the Potions master to take another ten points from Gryffindor and continue as if nothing had happened. Five minutes after Snape was done explaining the theory, the students had been brave enough to grab their supplies from the ingredients cupboard and get started on their concoctions.

The creation of the potion was supposedly easy, but it was much harder with Snape gliding up and down the aisles, criticising everyone except Malfoy, who he seemed to favour. Whenever Snape drew near, the students would mess up and make a mistake, which seemed to be just the reaction the professor was hoping for.

Harry sighed to himself as soon as he finished chopping the last of the Sitrus berries. He stretched his fingers before dropping the sliced berries into his pestle and was just about to grind them to a pulp when there was a wail of pain behind him.

Neville had somehow managed to make his potion explode, causing it to literally blow up in his face. Harry grimaced as he saw an angry rash forming on Neville's face and Snape appeared next to the chubby-faced boy in a flash, not out of concern but annoyance.

"Idiot boy!" he snarled. Neville whimpered as the rash spread over his arms, which trembled from the pain. "Take him to the hospital wing," he spat at Hermione, who had been working with him. Then his eyes immediately darted to Harry, who had been watching all the while out of sheer concern for Neville.

"You – Potter – what're you looking at?" he hissed. "Another ten points from Gryffindor for getting distracted so easily."

By the end of the class Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low, and he had no doubt that Snape truly hated him.

"Cheer up," Ron said brightly as they walked down a set of stairs, heading for Hagrid's. "Snape's always docking points off Fred and George. He doesn't like anyone."

"Yeah, but he hates only me," Harry said. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to let Snape spoil his mood, especially since he was going to meet the man who'd rescued him from the Dursleys.

They had skipped lunch in the favour of seeing Hagrid, and they were currently heading towards Hagrid's cottage, which was placed on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Harry had considered asking Neville or Hermione to come with him, but in the end decided not to; Neville was still in the hospital wing due to his blunder in Potions and Ron got annoyed of Hermione whenever the girl spoke in that know-it-all tone.

Hagrid's cottage was huge – or at least huge for the boys, considering Hagrid's unnatural size. For Hagrid it might've been a bit cramped. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes ere placed outside the front door, which Ron inspected as Harry knocked on the wooden door.

There was a small commotion heard from inside along with several excited barks, which Harry took as Fang. It was only a moment before Hagrid's hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open, a smile forming on his huge face.

"Hello, Harry!" Hagrid exclaimed happily. "How are yeh?"

"I'm fine, Hagrid," Harry answered with a smile. He noticed Ron looking at his own feet nervously and decided to make some introductions. "Hagrid, this is my friend Ron. Ron, meet Hagrid."

"Another Weasley, eh?" Hagrid said, glancing at Ron's red hair as he poured out some tea for the three of them. "Come on in, I've got some nice cakes to give y'all."

It didn't take long for Ron to get comfortable around the giant man, since all it took were a few bites into the cakes, which were thankfully edible despite their craggy appearance. Fang had immediately bounded for Harry, who took to scratching the Houndoom under his curved ivory horns. Harry shoved the remnants of his first piece of cake into his mouth as he continued to comfort Fang, the Houndoom's tail flicking lazily as he growled half-heartedly in contentment.

"So," Hagrid said once he was done making the inside of his cottage tidy enough for visitors. "How was yer firs' week at Hogwarts?"

Harry grinned, and soon he began to talk about all the excitement he'd felt, his hands helping him as they waved about excitedly. Harry talked about how interesting Flitwick's class was, how McGonagall had helped him learn more about pokémon, and that while Quirrel's class was a bit boring he was looking forward to pokémon battling. Ron had also joined Harry halfway, although the redhead's face twisted into a scowl when they talked about Binns the Alakazam and his History class.

When Hagrid asked about Potions, Harry's face went sour. Even the merest mention of the surly Potions Master was enough to dampen Harry's spirits. Hagrid immediately noticed both Harry's and Ron's expressions and frowned.

"Ah, surely he wasn' tha' bad," he defended.

"You're right...He was worse," Harry said.

Hagrid smiled sympathetically. "C'mon, Harry. I know Professor Snape can be a bit...tryin' at times, but he's jus' hard ter get along with. I'm sure he'll warm up ter yeh lot if yeh'll give him a chance."

Ron scoffed at that. "Not bloody likely. Even a Regice will have a better chance at 'warming up' than that greasy git."

Hagrid's beard twitched at that.

"And what's more," Harry added, "he seemed to hate me the most, for some reason. Do you know why, Hagrid?"

The giant in question looked a bit uncomfortable and Harry had the distinct feeling that he was hiding something from him. Before Harry could press the issue, however, Hagrid hurriedly and very tactfully began to gossip with Ron about their favourite celebrity scandals.

While Hagrid and Ron chattered animatedly about the time Celestina Warbeck had been diagnosed with gonorrhoea, Harry's eyes fell upon a stack of newspapers. The boy adjusted Fang's head slightly to get a better view at the headline, since he wanted to learn a bit more about Omnis and pokémon.

His forehead creased when he finally registered the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ , which was the topmost newspaper of the bundle. The biggest article had a picture of several Aurors (the Omnis region's task force), their faces grim, standing guard at the huge iron gates of Gringotts, the bank which Harry had visited shortly before leaving for Surrey since Hagrid had needed to pick up a small package which the giant had called "top-secret". The title of the article read: _BREAK-IN AT GRINGOTTS BANK_.

Harry's eyes widened significantly once he'd finished reading the report. "Hagrid," he said slowly, interrupting their conversation, "this break-in happened right when we were there at Graystone City, and it says that ' _the vault in question had, in fact, been emptied earlier the very same day of the incident_ '," he quoted. He skimmed through the article once again and looked up at the man, who was suddenly interested in his gigantic, worn out shoes. "Vault number 713...Hagrid, that's the same vault _we_ went to!"

Hagrid shifted uncomfortably in his chair and Harry had no doubt that his burly friend was hiding something from him. "Codswallop," he rumbled, although he didn't meet Harry's eyes. "Yer mistaken, Harry. Yeh must've got 'em numbers jumbled up. We didn't go ter vault 713...Nah, we went ter, err...vault 713!" he finished cheerfully, as if he'd led Harry off the track.

"That's the exact same vault which was robbed," Ron deadpanned.

Hagrid blanched and wiped his face with a grimy handkerchief, which only served to make his face dirtier. "Arr, look at the time!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Listen, it's best yeh leave before Filch catches the lot of yeh. Although I wouldn't mind settin' Fang on that Purugly of his..." he added in an undertone.

Harry knew when he wasn't going to get information and when it was time to go, so he and Ron bid goodbye and promised to visit again before heading back to the castle.

"What was that about?" Ron asked when they neared the castle. His face was lit up in curiosity.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted, "but I intend to find out."

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 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. Leaf Stones, Trees and The Glade

_Edit 1: Changed 'Quidditch' to 'the Glade'. Sorry, everyone._

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Harry, however, did not find out anything about what Hagrid had been hiding from him and Ron. In fact, the two had completely forgotten about said incident, as their minds had been focused mostly on their classes, which had surprisingly turned out to be far more demanding than they'd originally thought.

The only time Harry got to enjoy the most was during weekends. They would get to hang out on the grassy grounds of Hogwarts, playing with their pokémon, spend time with Hagrid and then endure sleepless nights on Sundays in order to complete the mountains of homework they hadn't completed yet. It wasn't very tough, but it was tiring enough to make their wrists sore.

While Harry wasn't an extrovert, he was quite pleased by the number of acquaintances he'd made during the short time at Hogwarts. He was already friendly with the twins, who constantly kept pranking Ron to no end, much to the redhead's displeasure. Harry was also on good terms with Percy, who had helped him out of several sticky spots and even given him advice as well as helped him (and Ron) with their homework.

He and the rest of the first-years were a close-knit pack. Dean and Seamus were friendly enough, and Harry had a nice time with them. Even Neville, who spent most of his time in solitude, seemed to be opening up to his fellow classmates. Parvati and Lavender had already become besties and spent most of the time gossiping, unlike Hermione, who liked to keep to herself and keep her nose in her pokédex at all times.

There were only two things that served to dampen his fun at Hogwarts. First and foremost was Draco Malfoy, who'd been a thorn in Harry's ass ever since the two of them met. It didn't help that Harry was friends with Ron, who seemed to hate Draco tenfold, a feeling that was returned in same by the pale-faced boy. Draco and his Ekans seemed to live only to harass Harry and Ron, although the Slytherin and his two cronies kept it to a minimum when figures of authority were around.

The second was even worse.

With every passing lesson, Harry was becoming surer that Snape hated him with a kind of passion that burnt fiercer than a Slugma. Snape kept singling him out during each lesson, mocking him every other second and docking points for stupid reasons like "Your shirt is untucked, Potter, so that's ten points from Gryffindor" and "Another ten points for blinking without due cause". Even Hermione was struggling to refrain from insulting the Potions Master after class.

The worst part was that Harry wasn't even allowed to _look_ at the sallow-skinned man for some unknown reason. Every time Harry would glance at Snape questioningly, the professor's black eyes would turn harder than diamonds and he would take points from Gryffindor like a starved Snorlax presented with food. More troubling, however, was that whenever Harry _didn't_ look directly at him, Snape would take that as an excuse to start berating him. It was a catch-22 that left him utterly befuddled.

He wasn't the only being tortured in Potions, however. In fact, Snape seemed to dislike Neville as much as he hated Harry, if not more. Neville had already been terrified of Snape before he'd even seen him, and Snape would give a sick smile of sadistic glee whenever Neville or Harry would sweat bullets under his gaze.

Harry watched out of the corner of his eye as Snape began gliding towards Neville, who'd began trembling ever since Snape had entered the one-mile radius. Snape glanced down at Neville's potion, which had turned as thick and black as tar and had began releasing a smell that made everyone sitting five desks away from him scrunch up their noses in distaste.

"Once again, Longbottom, you have managed to do the impossible," Snape said with a sneer. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for creating a concoction far more acidic than a Victreebel's slobber, and I want a five hundred word essay on how and why you went wrong. I shall expect it to arrive at my desk by midnight, tonight."

Harry heard Neville gulp the loudest gulp he'd ever gulped; he wouldn't be surprised if the chubby-faced boy had crapped his pants by now, so Harry feverishly began to do his best to his own potion as Snape swept away with a flourish of his lab coat and towards his and Ron's table.

The only things that could take his mind off Snape's horrible lessons were Hedwig, Ron, Hagrid, and the recent announcement of their first class of Survival Training, which included an introduction to one of the most famous pokémon sports, second only to pokémon battling: the Glade.

The Glade was a popular trainer sport recognized throughout the world. Since Harry had heard of only stuff like basketball and football, he didn't know jack about the Glade. In fact, the name itself made him suspicious whether everybody was pulling his leg or not.

All he'd gotten to know was that the Glade consisted of eight players and a flag on each side, since, when the announcement had been made, all of the first-years had gotten so excited that several of the older students had wondered if the kids had sniffed something white and powdery behind a bike shed. Neville seemed to have a general idea about it, as did Hermione and Dean, since they weren't devoted followers of the sport like Seamus and Ron, who completely dominated the morning with descriptive talks about the Glade.

Even Draco wasted no time bragging about his own skills, telling anyone who'd listen (which was most of Slytherin house, because the students there wanted to get on the Malfoys' good side) that he was a child prodigy in the sport and could seek like the wind, or whatever that was. Most of his stories involved defeating Rhydon with his bare hands and running faster than lightning, which made Harry puke his own innards out in disgust.

On the morning of their first Survival class, Harry was giddy with anticipation. He didn't know what to expect from the class, but, from what everyone was saying, he was really looking forward to it.

Neville sandwiched himself between Ron and Harry, plate laden with bacon and toast. Unlike the others, Neville's face was slightly green, and he looked ready to barf. Ron frowned at the boy.

"What's up, Neville?"

Neville toyed with his food nervously as Ron stuffed a strip of bacon in his mouth. "N-Nothing..." he muttered softly. "It's just that...Gran's never trusted me with the Glade. Said I'd break my fool neck," he added after a pause.

Ron was about to say something comforting, but was interrupted by the arrival of mail.

The first time breakfast mail had been delivered, Harry had been in shock – of course, anyone would be surprised by the sight of an immense flock if birds pouring into the hall, circling the air before swooping towards their intended target. Normally Hogwarts used a FedEx service, but families, especially the olden families (Harry made a mental note to ask Ron about them once again; the initial explanation had been pretty vague), liked to follow tradition by using flying-types as messengers. And since Omnis was all about tradition, the latter option was used more than the former.

Harry glanced at the ceiling for any sign of Ron's family Noctowl, Errol, who was quite old but still had enough strength to make long distance journeys, but gave up when he caught no sight of it. He returned back to his plate only to jump back in alarm as there was the sudden beating of wings.

"What's that?" Harry asked, more out of curiosity than fear as he inspected the flying-type, which had landed softly in front of Neville, but hard enough to make the table shake slightly. It had thin, dark blue fur, and a scruff of lighter blue, but thicker and longer fur around its neck and torso. Its talons were sharp and black, as were its long wings, and its pronged tail was pink, just as its heart-shaped nose.

"Swoo!" the bat crooned, flapping his wings gently.

Neville smiled fondly and scratched the mammal under the chin. "This is Erasmus," he informed. "He's a Swoobat. Have you got something for me?"

The Swoobat ruffled his wings and allowed Neville to unclip the package around his waist, but the boy didn't open it; instead, he simply kept it in front of his plate before returning to Erasmus. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"Bat, Swoobat swoo!" Erasmus screeched, allowing Neville to feed him a piece of bacon before the bat took to the air, Neville's head turning upwards to keep track of him. Erasmus circled the ceiling twice before shooting out of the castle, a trail of white energy behind him.

"I've never seen that one before." Harry was still staring at the sky, where Erasmus had been moments earlier.

Neville nodded. "Yeah. Swoobat are native to Unova, but great-uncle Algie gifted it to us on my parents' wedding day..." He trailed off, a look of pain suddenly flashing across his face, although he hid it in a split-second, having mastered that act several years ago.

The others didn't pick up on his expression. "Wha'd'ya got there anyway, Nev?" Ron said. Neville blushed a little at that nickname, but when the others egged him on, he finally unboxed the package.

Inside was a polished gem, its deep-green body glowing faintly. The stone was cut uneven, and had the impression of a leaf on its face. It didn't look anything special to Harry, but Neville beamed at the sight of the item. "A leaf stone!" he exclaimed smugly. He held it gingerly in both his hands. "Gran finally agreed. Now I can finally catch a Pansage during the annual expedition!"

"Whoa, wait." Harry frowned. "What's a leaf stone? And the annual expedition?"

No one answered him immediately, the rest of the boys taking some time to eat their way through their breakfast before responding. "Second question first," Seamus said. "The annual expedition is kinda like a trip that happens every year. Since there are five islands surrounding Hogwarts, the school takes us to a different one each year so that we can catch some pokémon!" He grinned. "Me cousin Fergus caught his Bagon in his sixth year – nearly got his head bitten off by the mother Salamence trying to catch it."

Dean piped up next. "As for the leaf stone—"

"The leaf stone is an evolutionary stone that is used to evolve certain pokémon," a voice interrupted. Harry's head whipped to his right to see Hermione striding towards the table, a thick book in hand as she sat down next to Parvati. "Some pokémon evolve when exposed to the radiations given off by evolutionary stones, which scramble their already-unstable DNA. The known evolutionary stones are: fire, thunder, water, leaf, dawn, dusk, shiny, sun, moon, and ice stones."

She looked around smugly, as if having that knowledge would immediately get her a scholarship, or maybe have her fellow classmates to fall on their knees and beg her to tutor them, but all she got was a roll of their eyes and a few mutters about how she was an "insufferable know-it-all" and "show-off". Hermione huffed and returned to her book.

Suddenly the leaf stone was snatched out of Neville's hand. Harry looked up, and groaned when he noticed the blond hair and walls of meat flanking him.

"Look what we have here," Draco mused, inspecting the stone in his hand. "You wanted to give this to me, didn't you, Longbottom?" He sneered at Neville, who simply gulped in fear as he acknowledged Crabbe and Goyle, who cracked their knuckles menacingly. Draco smirked; he tossed the leaf stone up before snatching it out of the air before it could reach its peak. "Thanks a lot. House Malfoy will remember House Longbottom's generosity."

Ron shot out of his seat like a bullet, features locked in a rictus of fury. "Give it back, you lowlife, thieving bastard!" he ordered with a snarl.

Draco took a step back at Ron's ferocity, but smirked again as he remembered Crabbe's and Goyle's presences. "I don't think so, Weasley. Why don't you make me?"

Dean, Seamus and Harry stood up, ready to back up Ron if things went sour. Harry had been in several countless fights before, but they all ended up with him having a broken nose or a busted lip, if not worse. He shrugged. It wasn't like he wasn't used to it.

Just as things were about to go south, Professor Flitwick appeared at the scene, as if teleported.

"Not having any trouble, are we, boys?" he said cheerfully. Although the diminutive teacher was smiling, his eyes were twinkling with warning.

Draco's sneer faltered; he was all about harassing those that were 'lesser' to him, but even he wasn't stupid enough to try something in front of a professor. He tossed the leaf stone at Neville, and it would've beaned him between the eyes if it wasn't for Harry. "Just seeing," Draco muttered casually before swaggering away, Crabbe and Goyle trailing behind him.

XxXxX

For Survival class, Harry found himself outside the castle, which was just as predicted. Harry was pretty excited for the class, since he was waiting to learn about roaming in the wild, although the only downside was that the Gryffindors were paired up with the Slytherins.

The area they were currently having their class on was as big as a football field, with metal rods jutting out of each corner. There wasn't anything special about it, except for the ground being lined with sleek, grey tiles.

In the distance was a giant Trevenant, fast asleep, its roots anchoring it to the ground. Apparently the possessed tree had wandered in the grounds a few decades ago and had planted itself and had never moved ever since it had appeared. The school left it alone, seeing as it did not actively seek destruction and havoc, but it would lash out at anything that would come near it. Students had been told not to get close to it, but such warnings only seemed to hasten events, and several children had gone near it to gain thrills, until one of them was nearly killed.

"Welcome to your first Survival class." Their eyes turned towards Madam Hooch, who clasped her hands, a smile on her face. Her short hair was greying, and her face was slightly wrinkled and scarred. She looked to be fifty-something, but her entire figure was fit, and had the air of a predator. She wore a black catsuit, with a bunch of gear attached to the back, and a belt lined with ultra-balls.

Madam Hooch drummed her fingers on the keypad on her arm, causing the tiled area to glow and acquire an electric-blue sheen. A 3D blueprint, that of a forest, rose from the tiles, first blue before forming into an actual forest. The canopy of trees actually looked solid, as did the grass, shrubs, insects, and pokémon, and when Hooch leaned on the bark of a nearby tree she didn't pass through it.

Harry grinned. They had a simulator.

"The wild is a dangerous place," she started, her smile disappearing. "While your TV shows may bring out a different picture, the great outdoors isn't a place filled with pokémon that will follow you on your journey just because you're nice. When you're out there, pursuing your dreams to become a Pokémon Master or a top coordinator, you will be presented with several difficulties, such as harsh environments while trying to catch rare pokémon, and so on. The wilderness of Omnis is unforgiving – many species deep in the forests are territorial, the long sea routes make drowning a risk even for experienced trainers, and death is common, which is expected when you're living in a world filled with monsters that can breathe fire and cause earthquakes with a single twitch."

She took a deep breath, noticing the scared expressions in the students' faces, but she smiled, not wanting to frighten the kids. "That being said, in this class you will learn how to take care of yourselves when you're out there. You will learn how to create fires, set up camps, sense danger, and essentially avoid getting killed. Remember one thing, however – if you've not been paying attention, then you're already dead."

The class nodded determinedly and Hooch's smile widened. "Alright. First, send forth your pokémon. Scan them for some basic intel."

Harry did as he was told, first releasing his Rowlet, who hooted excitedly and fluttered her wings. Next to him, Ron released Cyndaquil and Scabbers, the latter who rolled onto his back and immediately fell asleep. Ron cast his sloth of a Rattata a look of utmost disgust before scanning the pair with his own dex, which looked like an older model.

The next thing Harry did (after glancing at everyone else's pokémon) was place Hedwig in front of his pokédex's lens, the machine whirring as it scanned the owl.

 _Rowlet, the grass quill pokémon. Rowlet can fly silently through the skies, sneaking up on opponents without being noticed. It can attack using powerful kicks, and also from a distance using the razor-sharp leaves that form part of its feathers. Rowlet can survey its environment and turn its neck nearly 180 from front to back, so it can see directly behind itself._

 _This Rowlet is female and knows the moves: Haze, Leafage, Peck, Tackle, Confuse Ray and Double Team. Its ability is Overgrow, which strengthens grass-type attacks when it is low on health._

Hooch waited until all of them were done before speaking again. "Right. Now—"

They were suddenly interrupted as a deep, battle cry sounded through the area. Madam Hooch and the students looked around in confusion just as some _thing_ caught hold of Neville, whose face lit up in surprise and fear.

Everybody gasped as a pair of calloused, red hands gripped Neville by the neck and flipped him over in a suplex-like motion, hurling the boy across the field. Neville cried out, screaming and spitting as he went airborne, arms flailing in a vain attempt to land safely on the ground.

"Neville!" Harry shouted in alarm as said boy hit the ground with a thud, and several girls screamed, Hermione included, but he didn't stop there. The force of the throw was so strong that he tumbled ten solid meters before coming to a halt, Neville heaped on the ground like a sack of rocks.

Madam Hooch, along with Neville's Turtwig, rushed over to Neville while everybody else's eyes snapped onto the culprit. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were smirking and snickering with sadistic glee, Goyle's Throh dusting his hands, the pokémon looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

"Neville hasn't moved yet," Hermione muttered in a worried tone. "I think he's unconscious."

"What just happened?!" Hooch screamed. The trio of Slytherin miscreants, who had been laughing all the while, immediately paled as the survival instructor glared furiously at them. While the Reversal attack executed by Goyle's Throh had elicited a few short moments of sick pleasure for them, it had been just that – short. They'd been anticipating the amusement, but they hadn't braced themselves for the aftermath.

Goyle and Crabbe seemed incapable of speech, so Draco took over. "It wasn't on purpose, Professor," he drawled, using the sweetest of tones. "Goyle here was just scanning his Throh, but his unwise decision to call out the list of learnt moves cost him dearly. Apparently his pokémon thought that it was supposed to perform the attack, and poor Neville Longbottom was, sadly, in the way."

Ron snorted. "Oh, yeah," he spat acidly. "Neville was _in the way_ by being nearly ten meters away from you gits! Stop playing it up like it's an accident."

Draco sneered. "Shut your hole, Weasley, no one asked for your opinion," he hissed.

"You shut your hole, Malfoy!" Ron bellowed. "And shut your arsehole too, you filthy gay piece of thrash!"

Draco swelled with anger, and Crabbe and Goyle flexed their arms menacingly (didn't they always?) along with their Throh and Sawk. "When my father—"

"ENOUGH!"

Draco and Ron immediately ceased their verbal argument, which would've escalated to a full-blown brawl if it wasn't for Hooch's intervention.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for cursing." Ron's jaw dropped, almost hitting the ground; Hermione glared at the redhead in annoyance while the rest of the Gryffindors glared at Hooch for the sudden removal of points. "And thirty points from Slytherin for attacking a student without provocation," she added, wiping the arrogant smirk off Draco's face in a split-second. The pale-faced boy's eyes briefly went wide in fear as Hooch stalked towards him menacingly. "I do not know what you think of me, but if you believe that I am as gullible as to believe your ludicrous lies, you've got another thing coming to you."

She took a deep breath. "I want the three of you to visit me after class to discuss your detentions for today," Hooch said. Draco looked resilient, but he nodded curtly, and his goons followed with unintelligible mutterings. Hooch reached a hand to her pokébelt, unclipped a ball and sending forth a magnificent Espeon, whose pronged tail flicked as it chittered a soft cry that sounded something like a musical note.

"Espeon, Telekinesis," Hooch ordered. The sun pokémon's jewel blinked red as Neville's unconscious formed was encased in a prison of blue, psychic energy, gently lifting him a few feet in the air, where his arms and legs swayed limply. "I'm taking Longbottom to the hospital wing now. The rest of you—" she surveyed them with commanding eyes, "—no mock battles or anything remotely similar – _stay where you are_ , or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'pokémon'!"

They students watched with baited breath as Hooch, Espeon and Neville walked (or in Neville's case, drifted) to the castle, and it only when they disappeared that the children exhaled.

Once it was clear that there was no trace of Hooch, Draco snorted. "Did you see his face, the great lump?" He sniggered. "The way he fell on his fat arse—"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Parvati hissed.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" Pansy Parkinson shrieked. "Never thought you'd like fat little cry-babies, Patil."

"To be fair, he didn't actually cry," Theodore Nott said in a bored tone. "He got knocked out pretty quickly..." He noticed the weird stares he was receiving and returned to his pokédex with a sigh. "I'll just shut up now."

"Look!" Draco exclaimed, spotting Neville's leaf stone, which had most likely fallen out of his pocket during the fall. He rushed forward to pick it up, examining the gem in his pale hands. "It's that thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

"Stop being a dick, _Milf_ -oy," Ron said, smirking at his clever jibe.

Draco bristled at the insult but didn't react aggressively. "Finders keepers, losers weepers."

Harry gritted his teeth. "Give it here, Malfoy!"

The blond Slytherin sneered. "I don't take orders from filthy peasants," he drawled, fiddling with the mossy-green shard in hand. "Why don't you make me, Potter?"

Harry scowled; before, he wouldn't have had the nerve to stand up to anyone. But now...things were different. Everything was different. And so was he.

Harry balled his fists and charged headfirst at Draco, Hedwig flying off his shoulder in alarm at the sudden movement. If it hadn't been for Crabbe pulling his 'master' away, Harry would've rammed into Draco's ribs with his skull.

"Fine; let's have it your way!" yelled Draco, and there was a hiss as his Ekans slithered in front of him. "Ekans, use Acid!"

The serpent coiled and gurgled before retching a glob of purple, acidic liquid at Harry. The boy's eyes widened as the potentially lethal poison shot towards him; he could already smell the toxins from this far away and he had no doubt that it would dissolve his body—

"OoooO!"

A blur of white and brown appeared in front of him, taking the Acid head-on. Harry's eyes widened as he saw Hedwig being doused by the glob of poison, the Rowlet grimacing in pain as the attack washed over her. Draco smirked, triumphant that he'd scored a hit, but he sputtered as a blanket of red-hot embers sent his Ekans hissing in pain.

Ron and his Cyndaquil had also joined the fight. "Good job, Cyndaquil!" he praised, and the shrew squeaked in delight. "Ember, again!" Cyndaquil's back flared once again, forcing Ekans to snake out of the way.

"That's not fair!" Pansy screeched. "You can't have a two-on-one battle!"

"Yeah, it's we Slytherins who are supposed to fight dirty," Theodore drawled, earning another round of glares mixed with strange looks, causing him to return to his pokédex again with a sigh.

"OoooO!" Hedwig hooted, landing in front of Harry. That Acid attack had hurt her, but she still had plenty of gas left in the tank.

Harry could feel his heart throbbing against his chest, a jittery feeling in his veins. Now he knew why people loved pokémon battling – they made you feel alive. Although Harry was angry at Draco for acting like a total pain in the ass, he couldn't help but feel excited.

"Crabbe!" Draco snapped, causing his burly bodyguard to flinch. Hooch had already confiscated Goyle's pokeball, so he was down to only one henchman for the day. "Help me out here, you troll!"

"Yes, Draco," Crabbe slurred, calling his Sawk. The blue fighting-type took a battle stance and tightened its gi, eager to battle like any other fighting-type.

Seeing Draco gain a partner, the rest of the Gryffindors moved to support Harry and Ron – that is, Dean and Seamus, since the girls were too frightened to actually participate, half-scared due to Hooch's threat and half because they'd never battled before. Dean released his Blitzle while Seamus sent forth his Numel, and the battle began anew.

"Stop it, you'll get into trouble!" Hermione cried out, but her pleas fell onto deaf ears.

It was a clash of titans – at least for Harry, since he'd never seen a pokémon battle before. Each side traded blow after blow, not one of the six participating pokémon going down. Harry finally understood what Leafage was – Hedwig would slash her wings at the opponent, causing a round of leaves to harshly pelt the target. Tackle and Peck were easily understandable, and so was Double Team to an extent, although he couldn't help but feel surprised when half a dozen Hedwig's suddenly appeared out of thin air.

Finally Crabbe's Sawk was felled by particularly powerful Shock Wave from Dean's Blitzle that sent the fighting-type twitching even after he had fallen unconscious. Crabbe recalled his pokémon with a scowl, and Draco paled, realising that he was only one person facing four very angry and determined Gryffindors. So he did the only thing he could – he ran.

Draco Malfoy fled faster than a Legendary pokémon, straight into the forest simulation that Madam Hooch had set up seconds before her class had begun, his Ekans trailing behind him. Ron scowled and so did Harry, and they shared a look before they did the same thing at the exact same time.

They went in after Draco.

"Harry, come back!" Hermione screamed, but Harry didn't care about being expelled right now (well, maybe a little). Right now, all he was concerned about was catching up to Draco and teaching the arrogant Slytherin a lesson he would remember for his life.

Harry easily manoeuvred his way through the forest simulation, twisting and turning and jumping over tree roots. Ron was fast, but he was also clumsy, tripping a few times. The years he'd spent running away from Dudley and his gang had given him enough practice to make him a master at this game; he was in a similar situation now, although this time Harry was doing the chasing instead of the other way round.

Draco, however wasn't made for running. Being the spoilt and only child of a rich aristocrat who had tons of power and influence, Draco rarely had had to life a finger to do anything. He wasn't in bad shape, per se, but he certainly wasn't a fit as Ron or Harry.

In no time, Ron, Harry and their pokémon had caught up to Draco and his Ekans, which had coiled protectively in front of its trainer, who was currently breathing hard as he pressed his back to the bark of a tree for support. Ekans hissed aggressively, only to be responded by an equally angry hoot from Hedwig, and a hesitant squeak from Cyndaquil.

"Give it up, Malfoy," Harry warned. Hedwig settled on his shoulder, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "No bodyguards over here. Are you sure you want us to do this?"

Ron grinned savagely.

Draco's face purpled and he clenched his fist tighter around the leaf stone in hand. His eyes flitted in every direction before he smirked. "Catch it if you—" he called out, but he never got to finish his sentence.

A sudden rumbling made all three boys – and pokémon – tense. Draco's cocky smirk vanished, and so did Ron's fierce scowl. They frowned, heads rotating slowly as they tried to discern the sound that had interrupted their small scuffle.

The earth shuddered. Draco whimpered as the tree behind him began to shake and groan and creak as shadowy energy enveloped it. Cracks began to spread through the bark, spitting the head of the tree until it was connected by pure, ghostly energy.

An eye snapped open, the orb glowing red and menacing. It swivelled, registering its surroundings before snapping down to focus at the children and pokémon, never moving.

Draco nearly pissed his pants and blitzed away from the monster, unintentionally dropping the leaf stone behind.

"Trevenant!" Ron yelled, stumbling as the tree began to pull itself from the ground. The Trevenant was nearly seven feet tall, with two thick, branch-like arms, which ended in three-clawed hands. It had three horns of wood on its head, on which there was a bush of leaves, like the scruff around its wrists. Twigs jutted out here and there. The creature's bark was split in several places, like in its elbows and main body, but the separated chunks of bark were connected by spectral power, which oozed out in black and purple smoke, turning their surroundings even darker and eerier.

The Trevenant groaned, focusing its single red eye on Harry and Hedwig before turning slowly to Ron and his Cyndaquil. The little fire-type whimpered under its gaze, the flames on its back occasionally flickering to life.

"...I vote on running," Ron mumbled.

"I second that," Harry agreed, Hedwig hooting her assent behind him. While the Rowlet was confident she was strong, and had a type advantage, she wasn't sure that she could even make the Trevenant budge.

Ron and Harry spun around on their heels and immediately began racing away from the beast, whose hard bark creaked and groaned as it moved towards them on its root for feet.

Harry glanced back on instinct and felt his eyes widen in fear as he saw the possessed tree form a blob of shadowy energy between its hands. "Down!" he yelled, yanking Ron to the ground just as the Shadow Ball shot over their heads, slamming into the hard wood of a random tree. Splinters flew in the air, and the tree came down with a groan, and crashed into the ground with an almighty crash, blocking their path. Harry was silently relieved that they hadn't ran any further, or else they'd have been pancaked under it.

"Trev...uh...nant..." the ghost-type behind them moaned, slowly catching up.

"Crap," Ron cursed, slowly pushing himself up and dusting his jacket as he examined the obstruction blocking their path. "What do we do now?"

Harry's face was grim. "We'll have to battle it," he said gravely. He noticed Ron looking at him like he was crazy, and he scowled. "You've got a better idea?"

"...Point," Ron admitted.

The Trevenant fired another Shadow Ball, causing the quartet to focus on it once again and narrowly avoid the ghost-type attack. "Ron, send out Scabbers." Harry held out his hand, Hedwig flying onto the outstretched limb. "We need as many fighters as we can." Harry then looked at Cyndaquil and Hedwig, the former who looked slightly nervous. "We're going to have to battle this one. Can you help us on this?"

"OoooO!" Hedwig hooted.

"Cyn!" Cyndaquil squeaked.

Ron groaned when Scabbers manifested in front of him, which showed the Rattata fast asleep. "C'mon, Scabbers, you lazy oaf, d'you want us killed?" The pokémon simply yawned. "If you battle, I...I'll give you a treat!"

Scabbers opened one eye, considering the deal for a few seconds before accepting it. The Rattata yawned, purple tail twitching as he bared his fangs. He would very well kill to acquire delectable food.

Ron grinned. "Alright, Scabbers – Bite!"

The Rattata's whiskers twitched briefly, before he darted towards the advancing Trevenant. Trevenant's eye grew intense at Scabbers appearance and clenched its fist, which soon became consumed with orange energy before thrusting the Drain Punch at him. But Scabbers leapt onto the fist and scurried along the wooden arm before sinking his glowing, black fangs into the bark.

Harry smirked as Trevenant bellowed out in pain, flailing the arm which Scabbers had just bitten. Ron's Rattata was being swung wildly in an attempt to throw him off, but his teeth were in so deep that it would take a bunch of plier to pull the fangs out.

"Hedwig, Peck!" Harry shouted.

"Scabbers, Bite!" Ron reiterated. "Cyndaquil, use Ember!"

And so the onslaught began. Scabbers kept nipping his opponent continuously, the bribe of being fed treats the only thing keeping him going. Cyndaquil kept scurrying around, firing blazing fireballs that scorched and blackened Trevenant wherever they hit it. Hedwig flew over the massive ghost/grass-type and kept pecking it with her sharp, glowing beak, not giving it the time to fight back.

Their luck didn't keep going, however. A surprise Seed Bomb slammed into Scabbers underside, popping explosively and sending him flying into Ron's torso. The boy oomph-ed as his Rattata smacked into his stomach, and recalled him with a soft curse. Harry watched nervously as the Trevenant rooted itself in the ground with Ingrain as a way to keep itself healthy while bearing the continuous, yet futile, efforts of Hedwig and Cyndaquil.

"Let's go now," Ron uttered. "It can't move because of Ingrain, so we can take as much time as we want while we're getting the hell out of this hellhole. Plus Hooch—"

Harry shuddered as a pulse of ominous energy radiated outwards from Trevenant. Hedwig and Cyndaquil ceased their attack, the pair of them staring nervously at the rooted grass-type. He felt like someone had given his nerves a strum, and a sliver of ice ran along his spine. Ron looked no better.

Harry yelped as suddenly the trees around him, including the one that was obstructing their path, came to life, their branches twisting and turning and reaching for the boys. The animated trees were similar to the Trevenant, while at the same time drastically different: while their branches could move like limbs, the trees could not move; they were simply puppets, moving due to strings cast by Trevenant.

"Mother of Mew!" Ron yelped, jumping back and landing on his rear end as he avoided a branch that was suddenly swung at him. Harry cursed as a second branch whipped towards Ron, who was nursing his aching back and had no chance to avoid the mobile extension. With a grunt, Harry caught hold of Ron by his arms and heaved him away, causing the branch to smack the ground between his split legs and miss the redhead's groin by a mere inch.

"Cyn, Cynda!" squeaked Cyndaquil, rushing off to his trainer's aid. The shrew was suddenly wreathed in flames and he began spinning towards the animated tree that had the _audacity_ to strike his trainer. Ron watched, surprised as his friend performed a Flame Wheel that caused the branch to snap from the tree trunk and fall to the ground, where it wriggled before being rendered immobile.

"Double Team!" Harry cried, the Rowlet spreading her wings snappily to allow half a dozen illusory copies to form in mid-air. The Trevenant frowned at their appearance, and Harry smirked. "Haze!" A stream of pale smoke was exhaled out of Hedwig's beak, filling the battlefield and preventing Trevenant from seeing its opponents.

"Trev!" the pokémon shouted, whipping every twig and branch through the mist, which Harry adeptly dodged. He was happy right now that his aunt and uncle hadn't fed him enough food or else he would've turned out like Dudley and have most probably died in this situation. Ron was right behind him, mimicking his movements, although with some difficulty; while the redhead was in okay shape, he was nothing on Harry's thin and scrawny form.

Harry huffed, jumping over another swinging branch. This was nothing more than a game to him; years of running away from Dudley had helped him greatly, not to mention the constant ducking and dodging from projectiles thrown by Petunia and Vernon. Hedwig was flying around the Trevenant, pelting it with leaves and occasionally pecking its hard bark, although she was just irritating the beast.

"Oomph!" Ron cried out suddenly as he was struck in the midsection by a stray branch, which had taken him by surprise. While the branch wasn't especially thick like the others or aiming at him in particular, it was still strong enough to make his vision swim with pain and knock him into a tree possessed by the Trevenant. The animated tree trapped Ron with its branches and slowly began to engulf him in its bark.

"Harry!" Ron screamed in fright. The boy in question whipped his head around and cursed to see his friend in trouble. Cyndaquil's back was blazing wildly, but he wasn't shooting any embers in fear of hurting his trainer. "Help me!"

"Coming!" he yelled back, and turned his head in front just to see a length of wood tear through the mist in front of him and take him by surprise.

Time slowed.

Without thinking, Harry leapt for the branch, adrenaline surging through him like high-octane fuel as he felt the air around him heat up with energy. He landed perfectly on the branch mid-swing, and used all the strength in his muscles to use the appendage like a launching platform to leapt higher into the air. He lunged at the Trevenant, and smashed his foot into the bark.

He distinctly heard Ron shout "Wha?" as splinters flew in the air as soon as his foot connected with the Trevenant, the pokémon groaning in surprise and pain from the sudden hit. Harry was surprised to see the creature stumble, but he didn't waste any more time; on pure instinct he pushed himself away from the tree with his legs and soared into the air in a backflip.

He landed perfectly, and like a gymnast, only stumbling a bit as he hit the ground. He had no time to inspect what he'd just done; a kick would do only so much, and the Trevenant was slowly recovering.

"Hedwig, use Astonish!" The Rowlet hooted in acknowledgement as she flew towards the Trevenant, smacking her wings together to emit a shockwave of otherworldly energy. The attack struck Trevenant in the eye and it clawed at its face with wooden hands. For good measure, Cyndaquil slammed into it with Flame Wheel before firing an Ember, further blackening and scorching its wood.

"I'm coming, Ron!" Harry said, sprinting towards the captured redhead. The tree was gripping Ron in a hug, the boy kicking and flailing to set himself free. Harry joined the effort, tugging at the branch in vain just as thing went from bad to worse.

Tired of playing games, the Trevenant caught Hedwig and Cyndaquil in its huge hands, then smacked them together before throwing them away with such force that the two pokémon were knocked out the second they hit the ground. "No!" yelled Harry, his eyes widening in fear and anger as he saw his friend's unconscious state and he continued ripping apart the animated tree's branch at a much faster rate as Trevenant pulled its roots from the ground.

Ron gulped. "It was good knowing you, Harry," he said dejectedly as Trevenant began advancing at them.

Harry, not knowing what to say in such situations, just nodded. He closed his eyes as Trevenant raised a clenched fist and brought it down at the two...

Only for it to explode in a shower of blue crystals.

"Huh?!" Harry exclaimed as everything around him (save for Ron, Hedwig and Cyndaquil) literally dissolved right in front of his eyes. Ron yelped as he fell to the ground, no longer being held captive by a killer-tree-possessed-tree. The simulated forest around him disappeared, as if sinking in a pool of quicksand, and was replaced by a more, if not equally scary, sight.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Madam Hooch snapped, glaring daggers at the pair of boys laying sprawled on the tiled floor – if looks could kill, Harry would be dead a hundred times over. The class of students (excluding Draco, Crabbe and Goyle) were watching with pale and uneasy faces as Hooch took a menacing step towards Harry and Ron, Professor McGonagall standing right behind her.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Hooch repeated, and Harry actually winced. Ron was gulping, his mouth trying to form words. "The two of you better be dumb, deaf or mute, because I—"

"Malfoy started it!" Ron complained.

Draco sneered. "I didn't!" He gasped, doing his best to feign innocence.

"Do not interrupt!" Hooch hissed at the bickering pair.

McGonagall cleared her throat. Her mouth was set in a thin line, although her eyes were calculating and...was that a hint of amusement? "I think we better sort this out in my office, Rubena," she told Hooch, who nodded curtly. The elderly professor looked at Harry and Ron. "Mr Potter and Mr Weasley, follow me."

"But Professor—" stuttered Lavender Brown, although McGonagall and Hooch gave no heed to her.

As McGonagall and Hooch led them up the stairs, Ron found himself glancing at Harry innumerable times, who stayed silent all the while, just like the rest of them. Just looking at the grief-stricken look on Harry's face couldn't help but make Ron feel pity, anger and guilt. Anger towards Draco, who was most probably laughing his lungs out at the grounds; pity towards Harry and himself, who were currently facing unknown punishment; and guilt for putting Harry in such a tight spot and not stopping him from getting into it. He was certain that they would face expulsion, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he had to understand his friend's situation too. If he, Ron, flunked out, he got to go back to his mother's cooking. Harry wasn't s lucky; if he flunked out he would go back to the Dursleys, his relatives, who gave him hell everyday just because he existed and his parents had been part of the pokémon world.

The pair of them shuddered when Hooch slammed the door shut behind them as they entered McGonagall's study. A large desk took up most of the space, and the room was bare other than a few bookcases. Not a thing was out of place. McGonagall briskly sat in her comfy, revolving chair, Hooch choosing to stand next to her colleague.

"Now," McGonagall said tersely, adjusting a bundle of papers on the desk. Harry and Ron squirmed in their spots, not meeting the teachers' eyes. "Mr Potter and Mr Weasley—"

"It's my fault."

McGonagall stopped abruptly, she and Hooch staring at Ron, who'd suddenly interrupted her with those words. Harry's head shot up and looked at his friend in nothing but puzzlement. What was he up to?

"I bed your pardon, Mr Weasley?" Hooch said.

Ron swallowed. "It...it's my fault, Professor. It's my fault that we didn't follow your orders. I thought of going after Malfoy and I coerced Harry into coming with me. Please don't punish him. I'm to blame."

The remaining three listened in stunned silence. McGonagall and Hooch were surveying the redhead with half-surprised, half-impressed eyes. Harry, on the other hand, had gone slack-jawed and speechless. Ron was _defending_ _him_? At the risk of being expelled? For the first time in his life, Harry knew what it was like to have friends...friends who would do anything for the other.

Then McGonagall cleared her throat. "While I appreciate your sticking up for Potter, Mr Weasley, I assure you that this isn't the reason for calling the two of you here. Your actions weren't commendable, and while I am more than ready to give the two of you detention—" Harry and Ron gulped "—I have found a... _kinder_...alternative for your misconduct."

Harry blinked. "Huh?"

The corners of McGonagall's mouth twitched, but didn't break into a smile. "The two of you managed to last twenty whole minutes against a wild Trevenant, albeit a holographic one. I must say that I'd have expected the two of you to be crushed to smithereens, but you proved me wrong. Your endurance and strength is the perfect skill needed for Gryffindor house to win the..."

The four turned their heads to the door, which slowly creaked open. McGonagall's face brightened slightly when she, along with the others, noticed the burly and tall fifth-year hesitantly stepped in, adjusting his red tie that marked him as a Gryffindor. "Professor, you called for me?" he said.

McGonagall nodded. "Yes, Wood, I did." She turned to Harry and Ron, who looked at the older Gryffindor in bemusement. "Wood, these are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Potter, Weasley, I'd like you to meet Oliver Wood. He's the captain of the Gryffindor Glade team."

"Okay," Harry muttered slowly, still not getting it. He noticed, through the corner of his eyes, Ron's eyes steadily growing wider in comprehension.

"Wood," McGonagall said triumphantly, "I have found you two possible recruits for Seeker!"

Wood's eyes bulged in surprise and happiness. "What?!" he exclaimed incoherently.

"What!" Ron yelled in glee.

"What?" said Harry, his forehead creased in puzzlement.

Upon picking up Harry's confusion, Wood smirked. "Looks like I need to tell you some stuff before we begin kicking arse..."

XxXxX

 **As always, thanks for reading, and don't forget to tell me your thoughts, either through PMs or a review!**


	7. The Third Floor

"No frickin' way," Ron breathed, completely ignoring the plate laden with food directly in front of him.

It was dinnertime and Harry was tired. It would be ridiculous to say that today hadn't been eventful. To begin with, he'd gotten into his very first pokémon battle and soundly thrashed the living daylights out of Malfoy, his eternal nemesis. Second, he'd broken rules and risked expulsion to (in Ron's words) "bring Malfoy to justice". Thirdly, he and Ron had nearly died trying to fight off an overly-territorial Trevenant, never mind the fact that it was nothing more than bytes of data composed into a solid representation of the repercussions of their foolhardiness. And lastly, he'd managed to somehow twist his way out of punishment along with his best friend and land his way onto the _Gryffindor Glade Team_.

After having twenty points taken from Gryffindor for outright disobeying orders and putting themselves in obvious danger, Ron and Harry had been asked to stay in McGonagall's office to clear up any confusion while Madam Hooch went off to dismiss her utterly disrupted Survival class. While Ron had to restrain himself from giggling in sheer glee, Harry had, for the most part, frowned in confusion as McGonagall and Wood kept looking at him in obvious happiness. The boy had briefly wondered whether they were just trying to get his hopes up so that they could later on crush them for their own twisted and sick sense of humor – he'd grown to expect that whenever he heard 'good news' from the Dursleys.

Instead, Harry learnt that he was about to have the time of his life.

The Glade, name origins unknown, was a popular trainer sport that saw teams of eight competing against each other within an finite time limit. According to Oliver Wood, who was quite nice despite him somewhat intimidating appearance, the sport had originated from an ancient inventor – Daedalus – who'd created the structure to contain a mythical beast and sent several 'volunteers' to brave the monster.

Personally Harry was slightly sick that people would derive a game from such a gruesome plan, but apparently people weren't going to be unintentionally sacrificed to pokémon the shape of bulls.

The game was relatively simple: the two teams started on either side of the arena. Each player could use only one pokémon throughout the game. Each team had to defend their flag from the other team. Victory was achieved when one team managed to take the opposing team's flag and reach back to their side of the arena with the flag.

The sport took place in arenas that were little more than mazes – complex ones, but not so mind-boggling that players would be crying their eyes out trying to meet their objectives. The maze would be molded in a way to represent different terrains – tundra, rainforest, desert, and the like.

Glade Teams were divided into four positions: three Runners, three Defenders, one Keeper and one Seeker. The Runners were the ones who made their way through the course in an attempt to win as many points as they could. They did this by either destroying targets, passing through terrain-related hurdles or defeating pokémon roaming through the maze, all of which earned them ten points each.

The Defenders and Keeper were supposed to protect their Base. The Defenders couldn't stay in their designated base area for more than ten seconds (a tracker-band on their wrist would determine this) and had to roam throughout the maze, although completing targets and such like the Runners would not earn them points. Their other job was to keep the opposing team's Runners at bay and possibly take them down, which was the only way they could earn their team points.

Unlike their more mobile counterparts, the Keepers could stay as long as they could in their zone and were advised to do so in order to protect their flag from the Seeker. The Seeker's sole job was to somehow steal the opposing teams flag and manage to bring it back to their own base. Doing so would add 150 to their score and effectively conclude the game even if the time limit of two hours wasn't yet up.

At least, that was what Harry understood after a two-hour long conversation with Oliver Wood in McGonagall's office. Ron was ready to blast through the roof; he was that excited. Apparently Harry had been given the position of Seeker due to his far better agility, flexibility and litheness compared to Ron, who'd been put on the reserve team as Seeker and had replaced one of the previous Defenders, who, according to Oliver, had done such a shoddy job last season that the only reason the Gryffindor Glade Captain had picked him, despite his severe anger management issues, was because he'd done a much better job than the rest of the nincompoops during tryouts.

Oliver had told Harry and Ron to keep quiet about this new addition so that they could keep "Gryffindor's secret weapon" a surprise from the other teams, Slytherin in particular. Harry and Ron agreed, and the black-haired boy enjoyed Oliver's enthusiasm for the game and their prospects for the new season. The congratulations from Fred and George – who were also on the team, much to Harry's surprise – warmed his heart especially. He hadn't seen much of the twins lately – they were no doubt up to something fishy and mischievous – but that would change once they'd start practicing together.

As Harry was about to dig into his food, he felt the back of his neck tingle. Almost instinctually, he glanced back and was greeted by the scowling visage of one pale Draco Malfoy.

Draco had been behaving worse towards Harry and Ron ever since the Gryffindors had come out of McGonagall's study, which Harry wasn't previously sure was even possible. Apparently the Malfoy heir had been expecting them to face some punishment, or even expulsion in light of their disobedience, but he'd been fuming to see their faces cheery and a bit smug. Just something about the blond Slytherin wanted Harry to pulverize something, and he was sure that it would only be a matter of time before he'd be forced to sic Hedwig on him.

It seemed that Draco had made up his mind as to what course of action he should take, because he immediately rose from his table and stalked up towards the seated Gryffindors, his two bodyguards ever-present. The Gryffindors didn't make any attempt to initiate argument, but they were tensed by the Slytherins' presences.

"What happened, Malfoy?" Ron sneered. "Finally grown some balls after Harry and I kicked your ponce arse?"

Draco flushed angrily. "Piss off, Weasel-boy. I'd take you on anytime on my own," he declared, glaring straight at Harry.

"Oh yeah?" Harry replied, refusing to rise to the bait. "Then why don't we ask Professor Quirrel for a officiated battle during Battle class as demonstration?" he asked in a mock-sweet voice.

Harry watched in sadistic glee as Draco's sneer faltered as his eyes narrowed, so he decided to add a few more liters of fuel to the fire. "Make no mistake, Malfoy," he hissed. "When I thrash you silly I want the whole school to see it."

Draco was visibly shaking with suppressed rage as Harry smirked at him, waiting for the arrogant Slytherin to say something. Instead, he whipped around and hurriedly stalked back to his table with Goyle and Crabbe, who cast brief scowls before following their leader.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron congratulated as Harry sat back down. Harry just continued eating, but he felt a glow of warmth at the pit of his stomach.

"We need to finish eating quickly and go see Neville," Harry said after finishing his steak and kidney pie. When Ron looked confused, he wiped the grease on his hands on his clothes before fishing out a familiar mossy-green shard that had been the main cause of Harry's and Ron's acceptance into the Glade Team.

Madam Poppy Pomfrey and her Blissey had revived Neville fairly easily, but decided to keep the injured boy in the hospital wing overnight due to his bones still being tender. According to the nurse, it was a miracle that Neville hadn't broken anything major from Goyle's Throh's Reversal attack, like his spine or neck.

Neville actually looked surprised when he saw Ron and Harry approaching him. "Wha— What're you two doing here?" he stuttered, incredulous by their presence.

Harry grinned. He pulled out the leaf stone and placed it in its rightful owner's hands. "I think this belongs to you," he said.

Neville's eyes widened and he looked ready to tear up. "You…you guys actually…"

Ron shrugged. "Well, we couldn't let that prat Malfoy get away with what he did, could we?"

Neville smiled. "You just missed my gran," he said. "She was furious! First she thought that I'd tripped or been my 'usual klutzy self'—" he rolled his eyes, "—but after she heard what that Goyle idiot did, she demanded he be expelled!" He grinned. "Anyway, since Madam Hooch didn't see the entire thing, it was ruled an accident."

"Bollocks!" Ron hissed.

"Still, Madam Hooch is making him spend detention with Filch for the rest of the week, but Gran was still pretty mad. According to Nurse Pomfrey, I nearly broke my neck and I could've died or something. Gran was muttering something about 'calling him out' when she left."

After that Harry and Ron made themselves comfortable by Neville's bed and entertained the bedridden boy with a thorough and slightly fabricated recollection of the day's events. Neville burst out laughing when Ron told him that the front of Draco's pants were soggy and wet by the Trevenant's appearance, something that Harry didn't bother correcting. Even he joined in by quipping certain exaggerations in order to cheer Neville up.

By the time they were done, Pomfrey had asked them to leave as they were nearing curfew, and they left after bidding Neville goodbye with a cheery wave. Harry also had no qualms in informing Neville about his position as Seeker – since the three of them were now officially friends, Harry didn't want to keep any secrets between them.

"G'night," Harry mumbled as he crawled onto his bed. He briefly heard Ron mutter a muffled reply before releasing Hedwig from her confines. The Rowlet hooted happily and affectionately nipped his ear before settling on the perch by his bed.

With a sigh, Harry put his bedside lamp out and closed his eyes. He thought his scar prickled for a moment, but he didn't have time to ponder over it before the darkness claimed him for the night.

XxXxX

The first Glade practice was held on Friday. Harry and Ron made sure to appear fifteen minutes earlier than the actual meeting time in an attempt to make a good first impression on the team. However, Harry had no doubt that the Gryffindor team had a low opinion of the first-years after finding the two arguing loudly about whether Igglybuff were cuter than Cleffa.

After Fred and George were done teasing Ron about his girlish fetishes about cute pokémon, Harry and Ron were introduced to the team.

First and foremost was Oliver Wood, captain and Keeper of the team, who was currently in his fifth year and used his Bastiodon during Glade matches. Harry didn't know what a Bastiodon was, so the first thing he did was search for it on his dex, resulting in him going slack-jawed at the absolute fearsome appearance of the rock/steel-type. It was so large that Harry felt it could block half the team behind its massive, wall-like skull.

The other two Defenders apart from Ron were the redhead's own brothers, Fred and George, the Twin Terrors of Hogwarts, who had a Volbeat and an Illumise respectively, both of whom coincidentally had the Prankster ability. The two bug-type pokémon didn't look like much, and had an uncanny resemblance to humans, but Harry quickly realized that they could be deadly foes when working in tandem.

The last three members – the Runners – were all girls: Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell. Angelina and Alicia were both third-years like Fred and George, and used a Leafeon and Hitmontop respectively, using their superficial attack and speed to use hit-and-run strategies. Katie, a second-year and new player like Harry and Ron, commanded a Fraxure, who used its tusks and natural brute strength to great effect, and Harry wholly agreed with Oliver's choice of making the girl Runner.

The only person who wasn't present was the Defender Ron had replaced. Oliver told them not to worry, since he wouldn't be playing most matches anyway.

Immediately after introductions, practice had begun. Harry had decided that Hedwig would be his partner, but it wasn't a surprise since she was his only pokémon. Ron had thought about using Scabbers, but after releasing his Rattata and seeing him fast asleep made Ron change his mind immediately and choose Cyndaquil as his partner.

Practice was relatively simple. Angelina, Alicia and Katie had their pokémon practice their moves on Oliver's Bastiodon, who simply stood in its spot and taken countless hits in order to build up its defense. Due to not being able to evade attacks because of its bulk and weight, Oliver wanted to make his pokémon capable of withstanding much more damage than it was used to, while the continuous attacks from the Runners' pokémon would give the trio a good workout and even help in strengthening their attacks.

Ron and Harry had Cyndaquil and Hedwig train under the Twin's Illumise and Volbeat. Since their pokémon were relatively weak and young, they needed them to get as strong as possible and needed to practice their moves as well. So they had Volbeat and Illumise increase their evasion and speed while Hedwig and Cyndaquil did their best to attack them.

While their pokémon trained in a separate zone, Oliver had them go through a set of exercises, before both Harry and Ron were red-faced and puffing. Oliver frowned at them thoughtfully.

"Alright, that's enough!" he barked.

"But we just got started," Ron protested in-between wheezes.

"Yeah, and you're all but falling down, Weasley."

Ron's face turned even redder, which was a marvel.

"Right," Oliver finally said, after telling the rest of the team to continue with their warmups and exercises. He strode towards the newest additions to the Glade Team. "You two are going to need some work. I want you to set your alarms an hour earlier from tomorrow and come down here to run around the pitch a few times."

"But why'd we want to do that?" Harry asked, bemused.

"Because the two of you are sloppy, that's why," Oliver snapped. Then he sighed. "Look, the two of you have great endurance, but you need to get into shape if you want us to win. Especially you, Ron." The redhead opened his mouth to speak, but Oliver shut him down with a withering look. "Truth be told, you need the exercise as well, Harry. You're skinnier than Ron is, but not that much in physical condition. Your play will improve if you get into shape. You'll move faster, anyway."

Harry's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Oliver nodded. "Do you think I'm lying?" He smirked. "Now continue with the pushups; I want fifty more repetitions."

By the time they were done, Harry's limbs were aching and his back was sore as he walked back up to the castle. He was so tired that he wasn't even paying attention to Oliver, who was relaying some sort of encouraging monologue. There was some truth in Oliver's words, he admitted grudgingly; he could run fast, but he pretty much was a zero for being in shape. Hedwig was fast asleep on his shoulder. According to the twins, their pokémon had pretty much thrashed the Rowlet and Cyndaquil during their training sessions.

XxXxX

The next few weeks were a routine for Harry. He was woken up from sleep early in the morning three times a week, during which he and Ron would be forced to take laps around the Glade pitch with Oliver leading them every time. Harry was at least happy that he managed to catch up with Oliver towards the end. Ron was an entirely different matter. While he'd been eager to participate in Glade practices, he slept almost every night dreading it. Harry even remembered the time when Ron had slept off directly on the pitch during one of their early morning jogs, much to Oliver's annoyance.

Still, Harry grew to enjoy the Glade practices every week – in fact, he practically lived for them. His classes were all interesting, sure, and even enjoyable at times, but they each had their own problems.

Pokémon Biology had always been something that interested Harry, but the amount of homework McGonagall gave them did very hard to refute that statement. He'd initially thought that McGonagall might cut him some slack for being on the house team, but noooo. Ron had tried one day to put forth that argument, but he'd been shut down faster than a defective espresso machine.

Flitwick's class had both ups and downs. While Pokémon Coordinating was no doubt a fine deviation from battling, Harry personally couldn't care much about them. Even though it still amazed him when Flitwick had trapped his Froslass' Will-O-Wisps inside his Primarina's frozen Bubble Beam for more than thirty seconds, he'd rather prefer pokémon battling…if only it weren't for the teacher.

Quirinus Quirrel was quickly tying Binns the Alakazam for the position of Hogwarts' most boring professor. While Binns was just plain snide, Harry was honestly tired with Quirrel's empty promises about future pokémon battles. Each of Quirrel's classes were filled with nothing but detailed examinations of recorded pokémon battles – even the most minute things, the muscle spasms or even facial expressions were talked about during the class.

And his stutter meant that each lecture took twice as long as normal.

The only class with next to no problems was Herbology with Sprout. Harry wasn't much good with plants, but learning about foliage different from the plain grass and weeds that grew in the Dursley's yard peaked Harry's interest. It also helped that Neville was the best student in the classes and almost always beat Hermione while answering questions, much to the bushy-haired girl's annoyance.

Harry's patience was steadily worsening by every passing Potions class. For some reason Snape had it in for the boy, and it was a minor miracle if he got a completed potion turned in for grading. If Draco and his cronies weren't tossing things to disrupt their brewing, Snape was constantly doing his best to empty the contents of Harry's half-made potions because he supposedly hadn't done something right. Ron was always fuming next to him whenever the greasy-haired professor came close, and even Hermione, who held a firm belief in authority, always pursed her lips to keep herself from spitting an unkind word about the man.

"Another zero, Potter," Snape drawled, tossing the contents in Harry's test tube into the sink in between Ron and Harry. "You forgot to heat your test tube for three more seconds. Ten points from Gryffindor for creating the worst ice heal I have ever had the misfortune to see."

Harry gritted his teeth so hard that it was a wonder the enamel didn't crack. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to kick Snape in his soft spot and make him sing soprano for a week.

"Oh, and another ten points for having lopsided spectacles," Snape added as he glided away, a hint of a sneer in his voice.

Harry was visibly shaking with rage.

"Now, if the rest of you haven't been as stupid as Potter here," Snape continued in a lazy tone, "I suggest you finish by adding exactly two inches of powdered Walrein tusks into your potion and let it simmer for precisely fifty seconds. After that…"

"That greasy, slimy, cowardly arsehole," Ron growled as the students filed out of the class. "I swear to Merlin, I wish I could shove his head up his arse—"

"Ron!" Hermione chided next to him.

"Hermione, he had no business docking Harry points for such flimsy reasons," Neville said, softly but firmly. Hermione flinched slightly upon noticing the steely glint in their otherwise calm and soft-spoken friend. Even Harry was a little surprised to see the boy set his jaw and frown, a determined expression on his face.

"I've heard so many stories about that sorry excuse for a professor that I was a little afraid about taking his class," he continued. "Now I see that he's nothing more than a childish bully. I don't know why he hates Harry so much, but it just shows that he's nothing more than a shit-eating bastard," he finished, picking up Ron's typical way of ranting.

Hermione gasped, looking scandalized. Ron, on the other hand, looked pleased and a little impressed. "You shouldn't talk about a professor like that," the girl dithered. Next to her, Inkay chittered nervously, picking up on her trainer's unease.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Hermione, you were there."

The girl shifted nervously. "Yes, well…"

Harry winced slightly as Hedwig's talons dug through his clothes. The Rowlet hooted angrily, her round eyes narrowed in a glare. "And what's more, he seems to hate Neville as much as he hates me," he added.

It seemed that whenever Snape was bored of harassing Harry, the man would switch targets to Neville. For some reason he'd treat the chubby-faced boy even worse than Harry, if not worse. Even though Neville was a disaster waiting to happen during Potions, there was no reason for Snape to downright torture him.

Hermione pursed her lips. She couldn't refute that, since it was more than true.

"Come on," Hermione muttered, Inkay drifting in front of her. "We need to get to History before Professor Binns yells at us for being late."

Neville nodded, cradling Turtwig in his arms. The turtle-like pokémon chirped, snuggling close to his trainer as the first-years walked towards the History classroom.

Harry was almost about to nod off halfway through Binns' class when the vibrations from his pokédex jarred him awake. Next to him, Hermione frowned at the noise, and looked positively aghast when Harry sneaked out his dex and opened his messaging app while viewing it under the desk.

"Harry!" Hermione whispered. "You need to pay attention, or else you won't know when the Cipher War concluded—"

"Come off it, Hermione," Ron interjected, his eyes half-open. "Nobody really pays attention to this fox."

Harry wasn't paying attention to their argument – his eyes were solely focused on the words on his screen.

 _Potter,_

 _Challenge u 2 a battle. Trophy room, midnight. R u scared?_

 _-Draconis Lucius Malfoy, Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy_

Harry scowled, an expression that Ron and Neville picked up on (Hermione was busy soaking in information, although one eye was on the boys). "What's up, mate?" Ron asked in a hushed voice.

"Check this out," Harry growled, thrusting the pokédex in his friends' hands. Ron and Neville's eyes were little more than blurs as they read through the message, and so we're Hermione's, curiosity finally winning her out.

"That smarmy git," Ron grumbled.

"And what's this 'Heir' business anyway?"

Neville sighed. "It's a long story," he finally said. "Besides, the Malfoys aren't an Ancient house. That's just Malfoy trying to throw his weight."

Ron glanced at the message again and snickered. "With all those spelling mistakes, it looks like Crabbe and Goyle're rubbing off him," he said.

"But what do I do?" Harry asked.

"Ignore it," advised Neville.

Ron stared at the soft-spoken boy like he'd just appeared from outer space. "Are you crazy?" he exclaimed in a hushed voice. "This is a matter of our honor! Gryffindors never turn down a challenge. Plus, I'll pay good money to see Draco have his pampered arse tossed around," he added savagely.

"But what if we get caught?" Harry said. The thought of being expelled sent shivers down his spine. "I don't think it's worth it."

"But—" Ron was interrupted as his own pokédex buzzed. Frowning, the redhead pulled it out, and by the time he was done Ron was seething.

When Harry queried what was wrong, he showed his friend the message – one that was identical to the one sent to Harry, albeit from Goyle, with a gazillion spelling mistakes, and the meeting place was the hall next to the battle classroom.

"They obviously want you to split up," Hermione warned. "I don't think the two of you should wander around the castle in the middle of the night. Mr Flich—"

"Hermione's the only one who'll call Flich a mister," Ron muttered; he had a reasonably low opinion on the old and irritable caretaker and his equally annoying Purrloin, which looked like it had been half-starved.

"—might catch you and probably get the two of you expelled!"

"I know," Ron agreed, "but what if they call us cowards for not showing up?"

Neville shook his head. "They wouldn't dare admit that they were out of bed after hours. Besides, I've heard that Filch isn't a pretty sight, especially if you break curfew."

At that, Binns' snide voice roared in their mind, reminding them to pay attention to the Alakazam and his teachings.

XxXxX

"Does anyone know where we are?" Neville whined. They had been in deep discussion about McGonagall's most recent class on categorizing of different types as either descriptive or substance, and somehow Ron had ended up leading.

Harry shook his head. "No."

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione said exasperatedly. "How could you have gotten us lost? We've been here nearly three months."

"It's not my fault that this castle is bloody confusing," protested Ron.

"There they go again," Harry muttered to Neville as the other two began bickering for the umpteenth time. Even though the four of them had become close-knit friends over time, they still couldn't stop the heated arguments that occurred between Ron and Hermione every few minutes. The bushy-haired girl would somehow lose her level-headedness and it seemed that, if an hour passed by without Hermione or Ron snapping at each other, something was wrong.

"At least my nose is buried in something other than books!" Ron snapped. "I'd like to see you survive without having breakfast!"

Hermione glared at him. "Yeah, and with the way you eat I won't be surprised if that day comes tomorrow!" she retorted waspishly.

"What're you implying?" Ron narrowed his eyes in anger.

"Just that you'll finish off all the food before we wake up!"

"E _nough_!" Harry bellowed, and he was as surprised as his companions for yelling so loudly. "Can you two lay off each other for _five minutes_?!"he demanded.

Hermione and Ron blushed, and they suddenly became increasingly interested in their footwear.

"Let's see where we are," Neville muttered, pulling out his pokédex. Activating the map function, he waited for a few seconds until the detailed map appeared on the screen, and he paled suddenly. "Um, guys…We need to go right now."

"Why?" Ron asked, glancing around. "This place seems interesting. Plus, I've never explored this side of the castle before."

"This is the third floor," Neville whispered, his Turtwig squeaking slightly as he picked up on his trainer's unease. "We aren't supposed to explore this side of the castle. If Filch catches us, we're done for."

"Purr."

Every one of them froze the second the purring sound came from behind them. Slowly, they turned around, bracing themselves for the purple bane of the entire student body – Filch's beastly Purrloin, Mrs Norris, stood impassively not five meters away from them, her cat-like eyes making them shudder.

" _Purrrrr_ ," she hissed again, staring at them with wide, accusing eyes.

"Too late," Harry said, just as Ron yelled "Run!"

No one questioned that, and sure enough the four of them bolted down the corridor and towards the only door at the end of the hall. Filch's faint, gravelly voice only made their legs move faster and soon enough they were twisting the handle of the door.

The only problem: it was locked.

"Bollocks!" Ron cursed, pounding the door with the palm of his hand. Harry was frantically twisting the handle of the door in futile attempts to unlock the heavy, metal door; Neville's eyes were wide in horror while Hermione was hysterically trying to calm herself down.

Ron was so desperate to open the door that he pulled out two pieces of wire from his pocket and started fiddling with the keyhole with all his might. While Harry was half-impressed by his friend's determination, he couldn't help but dread the hours of detention he was facing after being caught by Filch and Mrs Norris. The grumpy caretaker had a ruthless streak and particularly hated children. It was said that before Dumbledore had taken office as headmaster, Filch used to chain students in his office and repeatedly lash them with whips containing jagged pieces of glass at the edge…although Harry wondered whether the old man had himself invented these rumors to make himself appear even scarier.

Finally (and to Harry's surprise), there was a click as the wires set into place. Ron let out an exclamation of triumph and, without waiting, Harry pulled the handle down, allowing himself and his friends to pour in before slamming the door shut.

"What's that, my sweet?" they heard Filch hiss from the other side of the door. Harry could imagine Filch caressing his Purrloin while pressing his wart-clad ears against the door. "Did you hear something?"

After a moment, Filch spoke again. "Come now, m'dear. Shame we have to start 'doctor-doctor' all over again…"

"Gross," Ron said disgustedly as they heard the sound of footsteps fade into nothingness. "I don't even want to imagine Filch playing doctor-doctor with that bloody cat of his…"

"Um, maybe this wasn't such a great idea," Hermione whimpered.

"Huh?" Harry asked. The three boys turned around, and promptly gasped when they wished they hadn't.

A tall, ferocious Tyranitar stood in the darkness – and it looked pissed and mean. It was massive, around eleven feet tall. It probably weighed over a ton. The claws it had on its freakishly long and thick arms looked like they could tear through walls of steel like they were paper. Its sage green hide was scratched and dented, proof of its ridiculous strength. Its thick tail swayed with every breath, scraping along the ground and scratching it easily.

Then it roared.

Harry fought to control its bowels.

"Run!"

Ron gulped, sweat dripping down his face as he swung open the door. He made to move, but was pulled down to the ground just as the Tyranitar whipped around and swung its tail at the first-years, nearly hitting them. There was a swoosh as the clubbed tail passed over their heads and smashed into the wall, although there was no dent – apparently the architects had made sure to make the room strong enough to withstand even the most powerful attacks from the monster it held.

"Go!" Harry yelled, pushing Ron and Neville through the door. The two boys tumbled outside and fell on the ground, hastily trying to scramble further and further away from the room. Harry was about to exit as well until he realized that Hermione was rooted to her spot, her skin white with fear.

The Tyranitar screeched once again before swiping its muscular arms at the frozen Hermione with surprising speed. The girl shrieked, and she would've been shredded to bits if it hadn't been for Harry pulling her through the door by the back of her collar at the last second. Tyranitar's fore-claw managed to slash off a few strands of Hermione's hair, but nothing more.

The rock/dark-type moved to attack once again, but Ron and Neville slammed the door shut from the outside the second Harry and Hermione passed through the door. There was an awful grinding sound as the Tyranitar punched the closed door, followed by a muffled roar of outrage before everything went silent.

A few seconds passed in silence before Ron asked, "What the bloody hell was that?!"

Harry didn't answer. Just a few seconds ago his blood had been pounding through his veins, but now he looked ready to pass out.

"D-Do you think the door will hold?" Neville stuttered.

Ron shrugged. "Dunno, but I guess it has to. Otherwise that Tyranitar could've gotten out months ago."

"What were they thinking, keeping a beast like that in the castle?" Hermione hissed angrily, causing the boys to flinch. She looked close to tears. "It could've k-killed somebody! We almost d-d-died!"

"Do you think we should inform the Headmaster?" Neville asked timidly.

Ron snorted. "Yeah, right. And what'll we tell him when he asks us why we were wandering along the third floor corridor? He'll just think we went there on purpose. I think we should just keep it quiet."

"But why?" Hermione whispered, her voice shaking. "Why is there a Tyranitar in Hogwarts? Surely the safest place for a pokémon like that is on one of the islands surrounding the castle. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Harry said.

"Unless it was guarding something," she said eventually, understanding flashing in her eyes. She looked up at the other three. "Well, it was standing on a trapdoor, surely the three of you must've seen what it was standing on…"

"I was busy trying to get out of that hellhole," Ron snapped. "Sorry that we're not as observant as you."

For once, Hermione didn't retort, garnering a look of mild surprise from Ron. "It's obviously something important. They won't put a Tyranitar in the castle for nothing," she concluded.

They were silent as everybody contemplated the possibilities.

In the end they just gave it up. There were more important things on hand – like trying to get to the common room without encountering the surly old caretaker and his decrepit old Purrloin again.

XxXxX

 **That's it for this chapter! I wanted to put in some more, although I think this will suffice. If you've enjoyed the story up till now, please leave a review, favorite and/or follow!**

 **1)The Glade ( _cough_ , The Maze Runner reference, _cough_ ) is something I'd been planning on ever since I've thought of rewriting the series. I wanted it to be different from my original idea, because, hey: flying-type pokémon can only get you so far. Plus, since Hedwig is Harry's flying-type I didn't want another of a same type on his team.**

 **So I decided to do something that was a cross between _The Gauntlet_ in _Mr Chaos'_ works and Capture the Flag. I got the idea of Capture the Flag from _Percy Jackson_ , so I decided to add something similar to the Labyrinth, albeit not a living entity. I don't think I'll get butthurt threats about copying _Mr Chaos_ – well, I hope I don't.**

 **2) I was debating on what pokémon the trap door's guard should be. I was leaning towards Hydreigon, but that was too obvious and it didn't quite fit 'Fluffy'. I was even going to choose Dodrio but I passed on that too. Eventually I settled on Tyranitar, Hagrid's pokémon…enter Rocky (that's his nickname)!**

 **3) Also, I've created a forum for information on this series:** _www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/forum/Harry-Potter-The-Chosen-One-Series/206707/_

 **Now for review responses:**

 **Greasy Monkey** : _Thank you for the kind words. As for the Glade, I hope this chapter answers your question!_

 **AngelFaux** : _Yep, Theodore is one of the few Slytherins that aren't total douchebags. You'll see more of him in the future. The Jewel of Life will take some time to make an appearance…You'll have to wait and see._

 **Guest** : _I guess both your questions were answered in this chapter! Draco and gang won't be able to get away scot-free as usually as in canon; from Augusta Longbottom's mutterings, it looks like Goyle's daddy's gonna have his butt kicked._

 **DZ2** : _I don't know why people don't like BW, because it was one of the best gens in pokémon. As for Pawniard, you'll have to wait till book two when [not tellin'] gets one._

 **Rockingchampif** : _I hope you'll grow warm towards the Glade, but I guess I can't day that it's similar to Mr Chaos' idea. In any case, thank you for your thoughts!_

 **That's all for today. Don't forget to review, and happy reading! If you have any suggestions for characters (and not only Ron, Hermione, Harry and Neville) please let me know!**


	8. Halloween

Over the next several days, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville spent most of their free time researching all the possibilities for the object the Tyranitar was guarding. Of course, they didn't find anything worthwhile or fitting the description, and Harry knew that he had a major clue; it felt incredibly annoying to know that he'd forgotten something, only to forget what he'd forgotten. In the end, they decided to put it out of their minds for the time being, but one thing was for sure – whatever the Tyranitar was guarding, it had to be something incredibly valuable.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron spent their time either trying to catch-up with their studies or train for Glade. They still were forced to wake up early in the mornings, and, while Harry was slowly getting used to it, it took a good number of shoves and finger-jabs to rouse Ron from his sleep. While it was certainly annoying to give up an hour of rest, Harry was happy to say that his hard work and dedicated determination was slowly paying off. Even Ron was managing to stay awake longer during their morning runs.

Along with this, Harry paid Hagrid visits every Friday and Saturday, consistently bringing Ron, Hermione and Neville with him. Ron liked the giant man as much as Harry did, and Neville's affection for Hagrid was slowly growing visit by visit. At first Hermione had been hesitant to approach the gamekeeper, but after finding out that Hagrid was more of a gentle giant she had no problems whatsoever.

As far as classes were concerned, Harry was having an okay time. McGonagall had set them an essay on plant-pokémon symbiosis, while Sprout had given them their first written assignment on the properties of Cheri berries, something which had them (and a grudging Hermione) ask Neville to hand over his essay for reference. Harry was starting to pay a bit more attention to Flitwick's class ever since the flames-inside-bubbles technique, and he found out that Pokémon Coordinating wasn't so bad, after all. It just required a bit of imagination, although Harry was still leaning towards a career in pokémon battling.

After twenty minutes filled with whines and complaints, Professor Quirrel had finally relented to having a practical session, much to general appreciation. The stuttering professor had agreed to having two people demonstrate a mock battle during the last class before Halloween. Everybody groaned a bit at that; it meant that there would be a slim chance for every one of them to be chosen, but something was better than nothing, after all.

Harry didn't even know what was currently going on in History. Go figure.

The only class he wished he couldn't attend, however, was Potions. He absolutely loathed having to see Snape, and the feeling was mutual, but the worst part of it was that he couldn't do anything about it. Snape, on the other hand, seemed to love having to mentally humiliate and torture the Gryffindors, particularly Harry and Neville, by randomly docking points and hissing snidely whenever they did the smallest of mistakes. He all the more hated Potions because it was one of the few classes wherein the Slytherins and the Gryffindors were together, and seeing Draco Malfoy's sodding face along with Snape's was something Harry truly wasn't looking forward to.

Something that Harry was looking forward to, however, was the Glade season, and the best part was that they were playing against their everlasting nemesis: Slytherin.

According to Oliver, Slytherin had truly crushed them over the past few years, and this was something that the entire team was striving to change. The Glade captain was close to tears and on his knees by the time he was done relaying his strategies, begging his teammates to secure a win this year. This got the rest of them so fired up that they, and their pokémon, practiced for the next few weeks so vigorously that they still had enough fuel left in the tank afterwards.

There was just something about Gryffindor versus Slytherin that sent everyone ticking like a time bomb. The enmity between the Slytherins and Gryffindors had multiplied a hundredfold, and while there was nearly always a Prefect tailing them, a scuffle was inevitable whenever a Slytherin and a Gryffindor crossed paths. So far there had been more that a dozen broken noses, ten kicks in the groin, half a dozen broken nails and an equal number of broken bones.

Harry knew they were training harder than ever. Gryffindor would win. They would not fail each other. Of that they were certain.

XxXxX

"W-W-Welcome, c-c-c-class," Quirrel stuttered as always, wringing his hands nervously as the first-year Gryffindors and Slytherins piled in. "A-As I p-p-promised, we will b-be having a sh-sh-short m-mock battle towa-wa-wards the end of th-th-the c-class. Before that, howev-v-ver, w-we shall f-fo-focus on a small surprise test I have f-for you all on the ru-rules and p-p-procedures of an off-f-fficial p-p-pokémon b-battle."

Everyone groaned a little at that, but they figured that it was a small price to pay for the bit fun that would happen later. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Ron paling slightly before changing spots with Neville, so that the redhead was sitting next to Hermione. The girl didn't say anything, but Harry swore that he saw the corners of her mouth twitch.

The test went quite well, Harry mused as he handed the his answer sheet over to the Parvati Patil, who had been asked to collect them by Quirrel. While it was true that Harry was abysmal at written examinations, he found out that it didn't apply for Pokémon Battling. He'd beaten Hermione several times, much to the girl's annoyance and frustration, and was little more than a prodigy at the subject. The answers came to Harry so naturally that he hardly had to study for the class.

"N-Now th-that that is out of the w-w-way," Quirrel said after grading the sheets, "let us b-begin with our f-f-f-first p-practical c-c-c-class. The students who w-w-will b-be ch-ch-chosen will b-be th-th-the ones wh-who will have acquired the h-highest results on t-todays t-t-test." At that, most of the students groaned in disbelief and disappointment; they'd all hastily answered their test so that the mock battle would begin quickly, but right now Quirrel had pulled a fast one on them. Ron looked a little sure of himself – he'd "referenced" Hermione's answer sheet, after all – while Neville gave a sigh of resignation. Hermione sat up straighter and glanced quickly at Harry, who couldn't keep the elated grin from his face; he might as well just walk towards the battlefield next to the classroom, so easy had the test been.

"...and th-th-they are M-Mr Pot-t-ter and Mrs G-G-Granger!" Quirrel exclaimed. The students, particularly the Slytherins, glared at the pair of Gryffindors – if looks could kill, Harry would be dead right on the spot. "P-P-Please make y-your w-w-way onto th-th-the b-b-b-b-b-battlefield." The man tittered nervously as Hermione and Harry complied eagerly.

Harry and Hermione walked to the respective trainer boxes while Quirrel marched up to the halfway position along the field. The students leaned over their desks in anticipation; while the weren't happy that were weren't chosen, they were still eager to view a live battle.

"Th-this will b-be a one-on-one battle," Quirrel declared. "There w-w-will be a t-ten minute time limit." The battle instructor set the timer on a stopwatch he'd fished out of his pocket. "No items a-a-are a-l-l-lowed. Release y-your p-p-pokémon."

"Hedwig, go!" Harry called out as he tossed the pokeball. There was a burst of white light and the pokeball shot back into Harry's waiting hand as Hedwig appeared on the field, spreading her wings snappily. The grass quill pokémon hooted eagerly before twisting her head around so that her eyes faced Harry, who winced slightly; he was never going to get used to that.

Hermione chewed her lower lip nervously before tossing her own pokeball. "Inkay, t-take the field!" she said. The revolving pokémon burst out, floated in the air and trilled in delight before twirling around in happiness at being let out.

Quirrel pressed the start button on the timer. "Begin!"

"Reflect!" Hermione said. Inkay nodded, the yellow spots on her 'hat' blinking as a wondrous wall of light was put up in front of her before going transparent.

Harry frowned. Reflect reduced the damage taken by physical attacks by absorbing it, but it would wear off after exactly five hits. He just needed Hedwig to deliver them fast enough so that it wouldn't prove to be a hindrance. "Double Team!" Hedwig hooted, spreading her wings once again and a split-second a dozen illusory copies appeared out of thin air. "To the air!" he shouted, and all thirteen Rowlet flew skywards, circling a cautious Inkay.

"Leafage!" All thirteen Hedwigs flapped their wings, causing innumerable leaves to shoot towards Inkay from all around the dark/psychic-type. There was no way to dodge all of them since she didn't know which one was real, so Inkay simply braced herself. Most of them disappearing due to being fired by clones, and while some of them were absorbed by Reflect, a few of them managed to pelt Inkay and make her squeal in discomfort.

That's one. "Now Tackle!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Take it!" she ordered. Harry cocked an eyebrow; there was obviously an idea formulating in her mind...

Inkay did just as she was ordered. The Reflect screen shimmered as Hedwig struck it, absorbing some of the brunt of the attack, but the Rowlet still managed to tackle the levitating Inkay. Inkay reeled back a bit, grimacing in pain but didn't miss her trainer's order. "Constrict!"

Harry barely had time to react as Inkay's feelers quickly elongated and wrapped around Hedwig's body, holding her right into place. The Rowlet shrieked and wriggled, trying to get free, but Inkay just tightened her grip on her prisoner.

Hermione smirked. "Now, use Psywave!"

Inkay crooned just as her eyes glowed blue. A second later, a semi-circular wave of psionic energy shot outwards, slamming into Hedwig head-on. The Rowlet gasped in pain and began to repeatedly Peck Inkay to let her go, until the Reflect disappeared and the mollusc began to feel the full force of the attacks.

Inkay immediately let Hedwig go, the Rowlet flapping her wings to get away from her ex-captor immediately. Hermione opened her mouth to call out another Reflect, but Harry interrupted her before she'd even started. "Confuse Ray!"

A beam of red-and-black energy shot out from between Hedwig's eyes and struck Inkay right in the middle of her forehead. The revolving pokémon squeaked and began to spin erratically, her eyes unfocused. Then she began slapping herself in the face while making weird, feminine noises.

"Inkay!" Hermione gasped, losing her composure for the first time. "Inkay, focus on my voice! S-Stay calm, okay—"

"Don't let them, Hedwig!" Harry grinned. While he felt a little bad about hurting his friend's pokémon, he pushed it aside since she'd hurt his own friend – Hedwig – not moments before. "Haze so that they don't see you coming, then Leafage and Peck!"

And so the onslaught began. A stream of pale smoke was exhaled out of Hedwig's beak, filling the battlefield and preventing Inkay and Hermione from seeing their opponents. Harry was smirking as he saw Hermione flinch whenever sharp leaves struck Inkay from random directions, or when Hedwig finally made an appearance, only to jab a confused Inkay with her beak before disappearing once more in the smoke. He was also pleased to see Inkay's spins slow down as the psychic-type was slowly, but steadily, moving closer and closer to the ground with each successful hit. At this rate Harry and Hedwig were going to wi—

 _Tringnringringringringringring_!

Harry and Hermione both looked curiously in Quirrel's direction. The professor's silhouette was getting clearer and clearer as the smoke was wing blown away by a gentle breeze until it finally cleared away, showing the man standing next to a proud and haughty Dodrio. The three-headed bird was watching every small movement the students made until Quirrel recalled it with a nervous smile.

"A m-m-most impressive dis-p-p-play," he stammered. "Although th-th-the t-time was u-up, it w-w-was clear th-th-that Mr P-P-Potter and his fiery R-Rowlet w-would've won th-that b-battle. Ms G-G-Granger's Inkay put up quite th-th-the resistance, b-b-but Mr P-P-Potter's Rowlet proved t-to b-be too m-m-much.

"Please give a-a-a r-round of applause t-to Mr P-Potter and M-M-Ms Granger," he said, to which the students clapped till their hands were stinging. The bell rang, and Quirrel laughed nervously. "Th-that's all f-f-for t-today, c-c-c-class. And I w-wish y-you a h-happy H-H-H-H-H-H-Hallow-w-w-w-ween."

XxXxX

"Cracking battle," Ron congratulated as he and the rest of the "Gryffindor Four", as they were called, walked along the corridor that led to the Great Hall. He clapped Harry on the shoulder and gave it a squeeze while Cyndaquil climbed onto Ron's head. "If there was just a few more seconds, Inkay would've been done for!"

Harry felt oddly uncomfortable; next to him, Hermione glared at Ron frostily before glancing straight ahead. "Uh, Hermione battled well too," he blustered.

"You needn't pity me, Harry," she snapped. "I lost and it was very well my own fault."

Harry frowned. "You were pretty well too, Hermione. Don't forget, if that Reflect didn't wear off and if Hedwig didn't use Confuse Ray, the battle would've been in your favour."

Neville sighed as he picked up Turtwig. "Let's not think about it," he said. "Let's focus on the feast, yeah?"

Ron plucked Cyndaquil off his forehead and placed him on the shoulder, the fire-type squeaking as he curled up next to Ron's neck, warming his trainer slightly. "Yeah! I can't wait to see the stuff they've prepared for us!" he exclaimed ecstatically, breaking into a run when he saw the entrance to the Great Hall not ten feet away from him. "Quickly, you guys!"

Harry nodded, a smile forming on his face. Originally he'd been dreading this day, for it had been when his parents had died...but after realising that it wouldn't do to mope around the castle, and after figuring out that he wasn't one to do that anyway, he decided to just enjoy the feast. They were celebrating something completely different, after all. It wasn't like Halloween symbolised his parents death.

When he was just about to step into the hall, he realised that Hermione was behind them. "Aren't you coming, Hermione?"

"Uh..." She looked downwards. "You three go ahead. I'll be back in a few minutes...I just need to bring Inkay and Hedwig back from the infirmary. Nurse Pomfrey told us that they'd be healed in some time, and it's been well over an hour. I'll catch up with you in some time."

Harry blinked. He opened his mouth to agree, but Ron beat him to it. "Okay!" the redhead yelled boisterously. "Don't expect us to save food for ya then!"

Hermione simply scowled as Ron dragged Neville and Harry into the Great Hall.

XxXxX

 _Hogwarts has really outdone everything else_ , Harry mused as he looked around. The staff had really done everything to make it fit the theme. The lights had been replaced by Litwick and Lampent, while a myriad of ghost-type pokémon, specifically Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist, swarmed the air, occasionally dropping treats and chocolate goodies to random students. The tables were laden with food and jack-o-lanterns, from which students would pick out candies and all sorts of tooth-rotting delicacies. The room was now an expanse of jokes and laughter; even the glares sent from the Gryffindor table to the Slytherin's and vice versa were kept to a minimum today.

When the clock struck the hour, Dumbledore rose from his throne, a wide smile plastered on his face. "Without further ado," he said, "let the feast begin!"

There was an eye-blinding flash as the empty spots on the tables were filled with plates and bowls of food. The smell hit Harry like a monster truck, and it sent him hyper-salivating. Without sparing just one look at each other, Harry and Ron dug in, Neville right behind them as Dean engaged the first-years in a gripping ghost story.

Ron's Cyndaquil was busy munching on a cracker while Trevor the Palpitoad was chugging down glass after glass of grape juice. Turtwig simply stared at his trainer, slightly amused by Neville's hunger; since Turtwig as a species relied only on soil and photosynthesis for nutrition, it was slightly odd to see humans go after food like a ravenous pack of Mightyena.

However, mere minutes into the feast, things began to go horribly wrong. Harry was the first among many to hear hurried footfalls grow louder and louder, the sound of which sent heads turning. Everyone watched as Professor Quirinus Quirrel raced into the hall, his feet more than blurs as he charged towards the staff table. It would've been comical if it wasn't for his horror-stricken face. His jumpiness was magnified a hundredfold and his turban was loose at the end.

"Bewear!" Quirrel shrieked, gripping the staff table like it was a lifeline. "There are B-B-B-Bewear in the s-s-school, Headmaster, four of them, and they're m-mad!" His eyes flitted and he added feebly, "Thought you should know."

Quirrel dropped like a sack of rocks. There was silence for two seconds. Four. Five.

Chaos ensued.

Screams filled the air and students rose from their seats, determined to run helter-skelter. But before anybody could move even half a step further, Dumbledore spoke. "Silence!" he roared, taking the entire school by surprise.

"Thank you," the headmaster said in a clipped voice once the noise died down. He turned towards the rest of the staff, who had already got to their feet, although Harry noticed that Snape looked rather reluctant. "Minerva, come with me. Severus, search the dungeons. Filius, Pomona, Hagrid – go together." Dumbledore turned to face the students. "Everyone is to remain in the Great Hall for now. Prefects, can I count on you to look after the students while the staff and I are away?"

A few of the older students murmured their assent.

"Good. No one is to panic – the Bewear will be detained shortly and we will resume what is left of the feast." With a flourish of his cloak, Dumbledore exited the hall, most of the staff following him. Harry briefly saw Hagrid's beetle-black eyes flash dangerously as the giant cracked his knuckles, loyally tailing the headmaster.

As soon as the hall was devoid of the teachers, murmurs split the air, causing the prefects to walk about and demand silence, but in vain. Ron looked at Harry and Neville in confusion, a chicken leg held limply in his hand. "How the heck did Bewear get in here?" he asked. "I bet they're doing a good job of roaming the castle."

And something clicked in Harry's mind. "Hermione."

"Huh?" uttered Neville.

"Hermione," he reiterated, the sense of dread growing in his body. "She went to get Hedwig and Inkay, remember? She's still wandering around the castle!"

Ron frowned. "So...what do we do?"

"We need to go find her!"

Neville shifted in his seat. "Maybe we can tell one of the prefects?" he suggested.

"We could, but they'll probably just tell us to shut up and keep calm while the professors search for them," Harry countered, already knowing how the minds of adults worked. They rarely liked to see anything out of control, and, what with several encounters with the student authority, Harry already knew that the prefects would just shut them down.

Harry sat there deep in concentration, going through the multiple possibilities as to what they could do. They could just sit and hope that the professors would save Hermione, or ignore the whole thing, but there was one recurring choice that kept flashing through Harry's mind: they had to go save Hermione themselves. While he wasn't eager to face certain death, he knew that his friends would place themselves in danger if he was in Hermione's place; the memory of Ron taking the blame in McGonagall's office was still fresh in his mind.

When Harry relayed his plan, Ron's face twisted in horror. "Are you barmy?" he exclaimed.

"We can't just leave her!" Harry shot back. "Neville's with me, right Neville?"

Neville flinched at the sound of his name. "Buh-buh-bobba-buh," he stuttered.

Harry sighed. "Forget it. You two can stay back if you want to. I'm not leaving her to the mercy of a Bewear."

"And we aren't letting you go alone," Ron replied, ignoring the squawk of protest from Neville. "If you're going to get yourself into this madness, we're in it with you. What's the plan?"

Harry smiled grimly. "We just have to get to Hermione before the Bewear do and warn her. Then you, Ron, can send a distress message to Percy and the professors will rescue us. Got it?"

Ron gulped, a bit uncertain. "Okay..."

"G-Guys..." Neville said with an uncertain smile, "don't you think that this is a bit – risky?"

But Harry had had enough; he stood up abruptly from his spot, Ron just half a step behind him. Without glancing back, Ron said, "Gryffindors don't leave their friends behind," and, with that parting shot, the two of them skulked towards the doors, just as Percy Weasley turned his head in the other direction.

Neville whimpered. If there was one thing true about what people said about him, it would be that he was cowardly. And Neville never denied this fact; on the contrary, he accepted this piece of his personality with a bitter taste in his mouth, much to the elders at Longbottom Manor's displeasure. But while he was a coward, he wasn't one to leave his friends behind. And he was going to prove it to everyone.

Without a second thought, he slithered his way towards his friends.

XxXxX

Getting out of the Great Hall was easy; all they did was wait for the Slytherin Prefect pacing the width of the doors to turn in the other direction, and then they were out. The Slytherin must've been as bored as she looked, because the sixth-year didn't even acknowledge the sound of the doors opening in the slightest. They didn't have to worry about everyone else, for the rest of the students were busy gobbling down their food while engaging each other in gossip while the rest of the prefects and the Head-persons were too much into manning their own spots to notice the three boys slipping out.

The hallway was quiet. The overhead lights were dim and there was an eeriness around them that made the trio of Gryffindors feel like they were in a horror movie that was actually scary, playing the scene right before the killer reveals themselves. Harry was first in line, followed by Ron and a whimpering Neville clutching the back of Ron's shirt. He had a terrified expression on his face, and although he was trying to brave it up, his face looked like he was trying to force something out of his rear end.

"Send out your pokémon," Harry said abruptly, causing Neville to start in surprise. "We don't want to be defenceless if a Bewear jumps us."

"Alright," Ron agreed, tapping the release button on his lone pokeball while Neville did the same. Cyndaquil, Trevor the Palpitoad and Turtwig appeared with flashes of and a "Cyn!", "Pal!" and "Turtwig!" respectively. Ron's pokémon scuttled over to his shoulder, while Neville scooped up the grass-type reptile in his arms; Turtwig wasn't very fast and he didn't want his friend to fall behind, unlike Trevor, who could actually keep up.

"Oi, what about you?" Ron asked Harry when the bespectacled boy told them to continue.

"Hermione went to get Hedwig and Inkay, remember?" he reminded grimly. "Which is all the more why we have to find her quickly."

They were on the second floor when they began to hear the faint sounds of steady booms. Harry narrowed his eyes and picked up speed, bracing himself for what was ahead of them. Ron and Neville must've understood as well, because Ron scowled and Neville whimpered again. As they turned down the corridor, they saw the furry backside and thick, pink-furred tail of a very large bear forcing its way into the girl's bathroom, the actions of which elicited a familiar scream.

"There it is!" Ron shouted, Cyndaquil leaping off his chest to perform a front-flip and land on the tiled floor before uncurling to a halt. "Attack!"

"V-Vine Whip!" Neville stuttered. Turtwig grunted, leaping from Neville's arms and onto the ground just as two, thick vines sprouted from under his shell of super-hardened soil and shot off towards the Bewear. The tentacles smacked it on its gradually disappearing neck, but the simply bounced off the Bewear. Hermione screamed again.

"That's it," Ron growled. He rolled up his sleeves as he was going to thrash the living daylights out of the Bewear himself. "Cyndaquil, use Ember! Distract it!"

"Turtwig, keep using Vine Whip!" Neville ordered. "Trevor, Bubble Beam!"

"Cyn, Cynda!"

"Pal, Palpi-Pal Toad!"

"Tur!"

The three set off their respective attacks, Turtwig's vines repeatedly ricocheting off Bewear's back and Trevor's bubbles popping explosively while Cyndaquil kept firing continuous blankets of flames. Surprisingly, it was Cyndaquil's attacks that sent the massive fighting-type twitching and occasionally bellowing in rage. Harry briefly wondered whether Glade training had finally paid off, but then he remembered that one of Bewear's abilities was Fluffy, which doubled the damage taken by fire-type moves.

When it finally got clear and turned towards them, Harry's heart stopped. The Bewear was nothing like he'd expected it to look. It was somewhat...cute, in a way, but it's strength was not to be denied. Its four limbs were filled with muscle and they were thrice as thick as Harry. Its face was innocent, but something about it sent shivers down Harry's spine. It stood eight feet tall, with a thirst for battle.

But that wasn't what made Harry's heart stop. His eyes were wide as he saw it swinging its left arm wildly, while its right arm was dragging Hermione, its great paw wrapped around her lower thigh. She scrambled on her hands, trying to find something to hold onto, but the Bewear's strength was too much for the eleven-year-old girl.

"Leech Seed!" Neville was saying. He had a look of utmost calm and determination that had Harry surprised. The leaves on his pokémon's head glowed green before he began spitting a battery of yellowish green seeds at the Bewear, like a machine gun. Some of them managed to land on the massive bear, sticking to its fur and spreading thin tendrils around it. The Bewear twitched as the parasitic seeds rooted into its flesh, sapping its energy with every passing moment.

"Cyndaquil, Ember!" Ron ordered. The redhead had picked up on the fact that Bewear's ability was Fluffy and was commanding his pokémon to use fire-type attacks as quickly as he could.

The Bewear bellowed, then it whipped its right hand at the boys and let go of its grip on Hermione. The girl shrieked as she hurtled through the air like she'd been blasted out of a cannon. Ron threw his hands up to grab her by the legs, but her foot kicked him in the face and caused him to land on his back while she kept speeding ahead through the air. Harry had already jumped and he braced himself for the impact that would come when the girl would slam into him.

"Turt!" Turtwig grunted, his vines moving from around Bewear's wrists to wrap around Hermione's leg, slowing her down. Still, it wasn't enough; she crashed headfirst into a waiting Harry, who felt the wind knock out of him while there was the simultaneous crack of his bones. He was sure he'd broken a rib or two.

They tumbled to the ground, Harry hissing his pain as his head hit the tiles; it felt like someone had split the back of his skull open with an awl, but he didn't loose his grip on Hermione. It was only when they met a halt that he let go of her, allowing the girl to roll away and shakily push herself to three of her limbs (her right hand was holding her aching skull).

She looked at Harry, skin white as paper and eyes wide in shock. "Wh-Wha—"

"Hedwig," was all that Harry wheezed, standing on his ankles while his two arms were wrapped around his torso, gingerly tightening his grasp, and he gasped in pain from the slight squeeze. His breathing was ragged and harsh, while his midsection was throbbing in pain every few seconds, sending pulses of agony through his body. He directed two fingers to the place where it was hurting the most and gave it the briefest of touches before determining that he had truly broken a couple of ribs.

Hermione nodded, reading for Hedwig's pokeball on her belt while tears streamed unceremoniously down her face. She was sobbing uncontrollably, but was slowly gaining control of her emotions. She handed over Hedwig's pokeball to Harry, who snatched it out of her hands and tapped the release button, sending out his starter pokémon.

"Row, Rowlet!" Hedwig chirped, spreading her wings elegantly. Her head turned back a hundred-and-eighty degrees, and then her wide eyes widened further at the injured body of her trainer. Then she glanced back and glared at the assailant...who looked more than ten times her size and a hundred times her weight.

"Hedwig, use Double Team!" Harry hissed, ignoring the throbs of pain from his midsection as well as on the back of his head. The Rowlet chirped, concentrating for the briefest of seconds before a dozen clones of herself formed in an outward semicircle in front of Harry. "Leafage!"

As the Hedwigs sped towards the lumbering Bewear, Harry turned to Hermione. "Hermione, send out Inkay," he commanded, and he was visibly shocked when she shakily shook her head.

"N-No," she stammered, still shaking her head. "I – I'm a b-bad trainer, Ha-Harry, y-you saw what h-happened in Professor Qu-Qu-Quirrel's class, I c-can't—"

"Hermione!" he hissed, slapping her head between his hands, effectively shutting her up. "We need all the help we can, or else we're going to die." She flinched at the last word, but Harry ignored it. "You need to send Inkay out, alright?"

Hermione nodded. "O-Okay."

She detached Inkay's pokeball from her waist and released the squid-like pokémon. "Inkay, Psywave!" Inkay complied, the white appendages on either side of her head rising in the air as she emanated a burst of psychic energy concentrated in a wave headed straight for Bewear. Cyndaquil and Turtwig, sensing the attack heading straight in the direction, scurried back, while Bewear roared as the energy detonated powerfully the second it collided with its body. The creature stumbled back several feet, and although it righted itself the second before it was going to fall down, it did look dazed.

"What...?" was all that came out of Harry's mouth.

Hermione smiled slightly. "Psywave is an attack that varies in intensity. The stronger the foe, the greater the damage."

The rest of the Gryffindors' pokémon, taking heart from the Psywave, attacked with newfound vigour. Cyndaquil kept circling Bewear and blasting it with continuous embers. Turtwig kept using Withdraw to boost his defences whenever Bewear attacked him, and although he was getting more and more tired his Leech Seeds were doing a good job at wearing Bewear down and transferring the absorbed energy to Turtwig. Hedwig kept getting in close and using Leafage after Leafage while flying out of her opponent's range while Inkay kept attacking with Psywave.

The Bewear bellowed in frustration. It raised its powerful arms, which glowed white before it swung the powerful limbs just as Hedwig came in for another Peck attack. Hedwig screeched as she was struck by the powerful Hammer Arm, which knocked her out instantly and sent her flying towards the wall, which she slammed into with a thud. The owl-like pokémon's eye rolled into the back of her head as she slumped to the floor just as Harry recalled her with a look of utter shock and terror.

Neville's Palpitoad kept firing Bubble Beam after Bubble Beam, Cyndaquil kept torching Bewear, while Turtwig lashed the behemoth with his powerful vines. Inkay floated from place to place, occasionally firing Psywaves when she saw an opening.

"Be...wear!" the massive Bewear screamed, swinging its arm downwards and driving the Hammer Arm into Turtwig's back. The turtle's eyes snapped open for the briefest of seconds before snapping shut.

"Turtwig, no!" Neville screamed, rushing towards his fallen pokémon. He pulled his friend close to his chest, then looked up, but immediately wished he had try when he saw Bewear looming over him, bringing its paws together to generate a sparking sphere of orange-red energy. The boy shut his eyes as Bewear thrust its paws forward, launching the Focus Blast at Neville—

"INKAY!"

Neville watched, frozen in terror and admiration as Inkay drifted in front of him and took the brunt of the attack, although the shockwave generated from the explosion was enough to knock Neville sideways and Turtwig out of his trainer's grasp. Ron snatched Turtwig out of the air, but the same couldn't be said for Ron; the chubby-faced boy let out a hiss of pain as he slammed into the wall. At the same there was a loud snap, and then he slid to the floor, unconscious.

Inkay was barely tethered to the realm of consciousness. She was struggling to stay afloat and it took every ounce of her fading willpower to stay awake. Hermione, grasping this knowledge, decided to turn the tables with a decisive move. "Foul Play!" she yelled.

"Kay!" The revolving pokémon was consumed in an aura of translucent black before she rushed at Bewear and crashed into the looming normal-type with such strength that Harry could feel the shockwave from several meters away. The Bewear's eyes snapped wide open for seconds that felt like aeons. The force of the attack knocked it back a couple meters; then it stumbled, wobbling like an unbalanced bottle of wine, before falling to the ground with an almighty thud.

Inkay herself was no better. The blue pokémon whined before she fell to the ground, out cold – the Foul Play attack had taken nearly all of her strength and she was out of it.

"Good job, guys..." wheezed Harry, huffing and puffing as he fell to all fours. His body was aching horribly and he felt like someone had punched him in his gut with a metal arm. And was it his imagination or was the back of his head wet?

He must've momentarily passed out, because there were a lot more people in the corridor.

People were shouting all around him. His vision was hazy, but he could make out most of the blurry silhouettes – Professors Sprout and Flitwick and Ron were kneeling next to an unconscious Neville, their faces grim and unnaturally pale, along with a pokémon that looked like a green sauropod with pink, triangular petals around its neck – Meganium, Hermione had once told him – and a Gogoat. Dumbledore was overseeing the proceedings with his Oranguru, and he'd lost the twinkle in his eyes. Quirinus Quirrel looked as if he'd met a serial killer specifically out for his blood as he inspected the unconscious Bewear, whose great belly rose and fell with harsh breaths.

The loudest voices belonged to the heads of houses whose rivalry was known far and wide. McGonagall's and Snape's shouting match made Ron's and Hermione's look like two old ladies exchanging pleasantries.

"Potter and his crew need to be expelled for their insubordination—" Snape was bellowing.

McGonagall was screaming, "How dare you, Severus, these students could've gotten killed—"

"Precisely my point—"

"ENOUGH!"

All sounds and movements ceased the second Dumbledore's word left his mouth. Gone was the kind old man with the grandfatherly air around him; in his place stood the current Grand Champion of Omnis, Headmaster of Hogwarts and the one who had led the Legion of Light into battle against the Dark Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Then Filius broke the silence, "Headmaster," he squeaked tentatively, "Mr Longbottom and Mr Potter need to be tended to immediately."

"Quite," Dumbledore said crisply. "Pomona, can I trust you to take young Harry and Neville to the hospital wing safely?"

Sprout nodded. "You can, Albus." She released a tall, treelike creature that made Harry think for a second that it was a Trevenant, before realising that it wasn't. Its bark-like body wasn't segmented, and it had several rotund heads circling the top of the trunk. What looked like green hair was actually thick, long leaves and its stocky legs had feet with two claws.

"Exeggutor," Sprout said in a commanding tone, "use..."

But, before Harry could hear anything else, his vision flickered and then went black.

XxXxX

Harry woke up to the feeling of something sharp nipping at his ear. Coughing and spluttering, he bolted upright, only to groan and clutch his forehead as a splitting headache made itself known. He was surprised to feel the back of his head wrapped in bandages, as well as around the lower part of his torso. Then he turned his head and stared right into the curious, black eyes of Hedwig.

"Hey there, girl," he croaked, a bit surprised at the fact that his throat was parched. Hedwig hooted happily and nuzzled into his face while he stroked her back. He looked at his surroundings and realised he was in the hospital wing. On the bed to his right, Neville was fast asleep, his arm in a cast and sling while Turtwig rested on his chest.

"Finally decided to wake up, have you, Mr Potter?" a voice said.

Harry, still petting Hedwig, turned to see Nurse Pomfrey bustling towards with her Blissey by her side. In her hand was a goblet, containing a viscous, purple liquid, smoke rising from the contents, which she set aside on Harry's table. "How are you feeling?" she asked absently while stirring the healing potion.

"Fine aside from the massive migraine," he mumbled, still clutching the side of his head with one hand. "What happened? How long was I out?"

Pomfrey pursed her lips. "You were out for approximately six hours. As for what happened..." She suddenly glared at him, causing Harry to flinch involuntarily. "The four of you decided to declare your stupidity to the school by going in search for a high-level Bewear on your own! Do you realise the seriousness of your actions? It was a wonder the four of you weren't killed!"

Harry winced, but didn't say anything; he knew that interrupting a woman during her rant would only antagonise her and prolong her lecture.

"In any case, you've received enough punishment as it is," she continued. "Apart from the minor bleeding on the back of your skull, you also had three broken ribs and a case of internal bleeding. However, Blissey was able to fix that with next to no difficulty," she said, jerking her head in the Blissey's direction. The large, pink pokémon chittered happily.

"And the rest?" Harry probed. "What about Ron, and Hermione and Neville?"

"Mr Weasley and Ms Granger were relatively unharmed, save for a few mild bruises here and there. The same cannot be said for Mr Longbottom," she said with a scowl. "He had a compound fracture sticking out of his right arm, bruises all up and down both his sides. He lost a considerable amount of blood, but the blood restoratives are working, and although the break was bad but clean, and it's already knitting. He'll be fine, but he'll need to keep the cast on for around a week before he can use it to its full extent." She picked up the smoking goblet and handed it over to Harry. "Drink. All of it."

Harry looked at it uncertainly and took a whiff of the smoke, which was odourless. Taking it as a good sign, he gulped down the contents in one go and recoiled from the taste – it wasn't unpleasant, but rather cloyingly sweet, very unlike the medicines Harry had grown used to back in the Surrey region.

Pomfrey snatched the goblet from Harry's hand, which had already gotten limp. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

XxXxX

 **Sorry for the long wait, but my internet connection had gone down, as luck would have it. I also want to say that updates will be slow - say, once in two weeks, because I just got my results for the semester exams and even though I'm happy I need to work harder. I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I've changed my educational stream from Science to Arts midway, so I have to put in double the effort.**

 **Review responses:**

 **AngelFaux:** _Thank you for the kind words! Also, fossil pokémon aren't exactly that rare, considering that you could get so many of them in Kalos. Plus you can get rare pokémon via breeders._

 **Daniel Jensen:** _Thank you for the compliment. And, yes_ _, I am accepting OCs. You can send them via PMs or reviews._

 **Guest:** _Not all Slytherins will be like Draco or Flint, and I agree that the stereotype is annoying. As for Harry being so mean, he's been bullied so badly in his youth that he just won't ignore it anymore. He's going to retaliate with all that pent-up energy stored for eleven years._

 **DZ2:** _Morelull is an AMAZING choice! I'll be using it quickly so that you can't, haha._

 _Also, I'm waiting for your update! Do that soon!_

 **Sakura Lisel:** _According to Pokémon in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, everything has some amount of aura/energies. When a trainer with an aura wavelength interacts with a pokémon with the same, that's how pokémon choose the trainer. I know it's a crude explanation, but you'll have to deal with it._

 _Pokémon can hear and see everything that is going outside the pokeball when the pokeball is enlarged, as seen in the anime._

 _Surrey is more or less similar to Orre, but just a hundred times worse. If you provide unfavourable conditions and convince an animal that this place isn't a favourable habitat for it, said animal will move away from the territory. The same can be said for pokémon._

 _I hope this helps._

 **I'd like it if you tell me how my writing skills are, but I can't force my decision on you. Still, it'd be nice.** **Thanks for sticking around! Until next time have a good one.**


	9. Not a Hiatus Note

Hello, everyone!

No, this fic isn't going on hiatus, so you all can relax. However - and I know you hate 'buts' - I am having writers block for the next chapter and can't seem to find a way to write it in a well and pleasing manner. Therefore, the next update won't be as soon as the previous ones - but once **Chapter Nine** comes up get ready for quick updates!

For those who understand, thank you. For those who don't, well... I hope you do.

- **WarsOfShadows**


	10. The Glade

**_The Jewel of Life_**

XxXxX

 _Chapter Nine:_ _The Glade_

XxXxX

Harry spent the night at the hospital wing on Nurse Pomfrey's orders. The healer looked like she was ready to beat him into unconsciousness if she had to when Harry suggested on leaving, and he didn't want to get hurt even further.

Neville was fine as well, although he still had to wear that cast on his arm, which prevented him from accurately throwing pokeballs and doing written work. Ron was somewhat envious of Neville's handicap, because Hermione had volunteered to write out notes for him and do his homework during the time Neville was incapacitated, which pleased the soft-spoken boy and brought a smile on his otherwise neutral face.

Even Harry was hoping that Hermione would do _his_ homework, because it felt like as if the teachers had decided as a group to increase the workload and the amount of homework on students. McGonagall gave them assignments at least thrice a week, Flitwick had a surprise test coming up, Snape had planned to spring up a test every Friday to "test the knowledge and skills that you dunderheads have acquired in my class," as he put it, while even Quirrel had given up on assessing every frame of battle-clips and told them that they were going to have exam prep.

But there was something far more important coming up – well, that was what Oliver had told him a few days ago. Something that got the students of Hogwarts restless and excited. The first match of the Glade season was going to be upon them in little over a week, pitting Gryffindor against their arch-rivals, Slytherin. Hissing and punching and snarling between Gryffindors and Slytherins was becoming as common as seeing Rattata in tall grass. Plus the enmity had grown so much in the past few days that it took more than one teacher to break the occasional fights.

The week before had Oliver in a frenzy as the match approached. The fifth-year kept running his teammates through drills to the point and swore that he wouldn't let them go until their backs were close to breaking, which was thankfully just figurative, and he would avoid their complaints like the plague. Harry had never seen anyone so obsessed about anything, maybe Dudley and his food, but this was getting ridiculous. Their pokémon were working equally hard, if not harder. Harry still remembered the particularly nasty Superpower Oliver's Bastiodon had received from Katie's Fraxure after Oliver had called her a sissy.

If Harry learnt one thing from that, it was to never anger Katie Bell unless you wanted to get to know her Fraxure's tusks up close.

In any event, Harry and Ron didn't mind as the constant practices ate into their study time. After all, most of the classes were a bit easy, and the only classes he had to push himself for were Pokémon Biology, Potions and History of Omnis. Since Snape graded the Gryffindors unfairly despite how well they performed and nobody paid attention to Binns, Harry only had to really study properly for McGonagall's class.

Still, that one class was enough to keep him and Ron overnight most days, but he was saved from having to have a word with Oliver when Hermione took the older boy to task, lecturing him on behalf of everyone in her study group (which was just Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville).

It was going quite well until Oliver said something about the priorities, and then Hermione _really_ started in on Oliver. By the time Hermione threatened to go to Professor McGonagall, Oliver looked ready to piss himself, and Harry and Ron had to personally drag Hermione away from the frightened fifth-year. "That's enough," Ron said. "I think you've made your point. Hasn't she, Oliver? No more four-hour practices on weeknights, right?"

Oliver nodded hurriedly, causing Hermione to huff.

"This is a nightmare, this is," Ron grumbled as he plopped down on an armchair in the Gryffindor common room. His sore muscles and aching back were the results of the extra reflex drills Oliver had run them through that day. "Who knew Oliver could be such a nutter about the Glade?"

"Don't forget, you still have to finish Professor Snape's assignment," Hermione muttered in a singsong tone.

Ron groaned.

XxXxX

Harry hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before his first match, and while part of it was due to his nerves acting up, it was also because his scar had been prickling like mad. The irritating sensation on his forehead had built up so much at one point that, when he woke up at five in the morning, he'd ordered a very reluctant Hedwig to scratch his scar with her talons. Needless to say, he wasn't planning on using Hedwig to rid himself of his itches in the future.

"You'll be fine," Ron told him when Harry just kept on staring at his breakfast. "Come on, we'll cream the Slytherins. Doeshpinelesh gits won' e'en noe wah hi' 'em!" he added thickly, having just stuffed two slices of heavily-buttered toast into his mouth.

"Harry, you need to eat _something_ ," Hermione chided. Neville put Turtwig on the table and nodded in assent. "You need your strength."

Harry sighed. "Alright," he mumbled, piling ketchup on his plate of sausages. Just as he was about to stab one with his fork, Ron cleared his throat. Harry looked at his friend questioningly.

"Er, we gotta go, mate," Ron told him. Harry just sighed and let go of his fork, which clattered harmlessly against the table.

"Good luck, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

Neville nodded. "Good luck," he said. Turtwig grunted, then went on to munch a bunch of lettuce.

"So much for breakfast," he muttered. "Alright. Let's go."

XxXxX

"Welcome, everyone, to the much awaited start of the Glade season!" Lee Jordan, fourth-year Gryffindor and best friend of the Weasley Twins, hollered into the mic. "The first match of the season has the Gryffindor Pyroar pitted against their eternal rivals – the Slytherin Seviper!" Cheers erupted from the Slytherin section of the bleachers while the Gryffindors jeered in earnest. "Personally, I feel that our Gryffs are going to kick a—"

"Jordan," McGonagall hissed in a warning tone.

"Alright you lot, listen up," Oliver said once the entire team was assembled. All the eight members were wearing similar clothing – stain resistant, reinforced thread with protective mesh underwire, form fitting but light enough not to hamper movement. Their slim jeans were pitch black, as were their tops, over which they wore a red jacket with a gold trim and the crest of Gryffindor house emblazoned on their left breast.

"We need to be wary of Slytherin," he told his players. "Last year, they...they..."

"It's all right, Oliver." Katie patted the captain's shoulder sympathetically; he looked like he was barely holding back tears.

Oliver sniffed, then stood back up. "Anyway, the Slytherins are going to do everything they can to rough us up – to them rules aren't really rules, but testing limits – and we can't let them incapacitate us. Just play like you guys do in practice and we'll win."

The air was thick with nervous tension as the Gryffindor team made their way onto the pitch. Harry tugged at his collar, fingers shaking as he did so. His face was beaded with sweat, just like Katie's and Alicia's. He turned his head towards Ron, who gave him a nervous smile, a gesture that he returned in earnest.

The bleachers were completely packed with students; banners emblazoned with a Pyroar, an Arbok, a Honchkrow and a Linoone hung in front of four boxes of students, separating them from the other houses. As the Gryffindor team made their appearance, Harry smiled as the students with the Pyroar banner draped in front of them hollered supportively, and he ignored the Slytherins who let out equally loud boos.

"Today's match will be taking place in the Electric Terrain course!" Lee explained as Harry, Ron and the rest of the Gryffindor team stared at the fifteen-feet tall walls of the arena in front of them, waiting for the entrance to show itself so they could have some prep-time at their base. "The arena is similar to the attack Electric Terrain and has electric orbs placed all around the arena to give it a life-like effect. Just a bit of trainer tips, folks: _don't_ use sleep-inducing moves, because they are sure to fail, and beware of electric-type attacks from foes!"

"Good thing we taught Volbeat and Illumise Thunderbolt, then," Fred and George muttered to Harry in unison.

"This course offers several different opportunities for our Glade teams to score points. The targets featured around the maze are worth ten point each, as always, while defeating the different wild pokémon roaming the maze – Luxio, Alolan Graveler, Magneton and Raichu, to name a few – allows you to score thirty points. As always, the Runners can gain points by an additional method – defeating other players, which can score twenty points."

Lee took a deep breath before continuing. "While this maze may seem easy, it does offer a few hindrances. The maze has been constructed to lead to several dead ends as well as 'shock holes', which will cause paralysis to you and your pokémon if you accidentally get into one. Not to mention that the electric-type pokémon wandering around the maze will be a fair bit stronger, thanks to the artificial Electric Terrain maintained by the electric orbs."

Lee paused for a long moment, during which everybody leaned forward with baited breath. "And so," he finally said, "without further ado, let the match commence!"

XxXxX

"Is everyone ready?"

Harry nodded almost in unison with the rest of the team in response to Oliver's question. Their entrance into the Glade had finally opened, allowing the eight members of the Gryffindor team file in with hidden tension. Almost immediately they'd released their chosen pokémon: Bastiodon, Volbeat, Illumise, Leafeon, Hitmontop, Fraxure, Cyndaquil and Hedwig had all appeared in flashes of light that had nearly blinded all of them.

"Don, Bas!" rumbled Bastiodon, the enormous rock/steel-type trotting next to his trainer with heavy footsteps while he glared at the ground in mild annoyance. The entire field was covered in dancing sparks and Harry noticed a few, yellow orbs studded in the walls exude electricity every now and then and surge out to engulf the ground. The field took on a yellowed, almost golden hue as it was charged up with electrical energy. Harry didn't know whether it would affect him or not, but since he wasn't being shocked, it probably wouldn't.

Hedwig was, as always, perched on his shoulder. He was thankful towards Neville, who had suggested him to get shoulder pads stitched into his Gryffindor team trainer jacket for Hedwig to perch on. This was highly appreciated by the rest of the 'Gryffindor Four', especially Harry, as it prevented the Rowlet's claws from tearing into his clothing and possibly ruin his jacket.

"You all right, Harrikins?" Fred teased, trying to ask about Harry's wellbeing in a playful manner.

Harry shrugged. "Kind of. I'm just nervous, that's all."

George grinned. "Aw, don't worry," he said in a soothing tone. "I mean, at the most you'll only end up in the hospital wing with a cracked skull."

Harry's eyes widened in horror and Ron smacked his brother on the back of his head in annoyance. "Don't scare him, you prats!"

George chuckled, then drew back with a feigned look of fright. "We better watch out, Freddie," he said, quivering in faux fear.

Fred's expression matched his twin's. "Too right you are, Georgie," he replied. "Looks like ickle Ronnie's finally grown not only in height but, dare I say it—"

"Shut up!" Ron roared.

"Pay attention!" Oliver hissed suddenly, in an equally loud voice. Everybody jumped at his sudden interruption, and when all eyes swivelled onto him, the Glade Captain continued. "Okay, you know the plan. Angelina, Alicia and Katie – remember, stay together until you meet the first intersection, then split up." The Runners nodded, their pokémon crying out in the native tongues in assent. "Fred, George, stick together as always, and bring down hell on the snakes."

George grinned. "Prepare for trouble—"

"And make it double, O brother of mine," Fred completed with a matching smile.

"...Whatever." Oliver rolled his eyes.

"What about us?" Ron complained, pointing at Harry and himself. "D'you want us to stick around and lay eggs?"

Oliver scowled. " _You_ two will be together, no matter what," Oliver informed in a commanding tone. "Weasley, I want you to stick to Potter like glue. Even if a Slytherin kicks your nuts a million time, you won't leave him. Understood?"

"Yeah, whatever," Ron scoffed. He then turned to Harry and gave the boy a thumbs-up and flashed a grin. "Don't worry, Harry; I've got ya back!"

"That's what I'm afraid off," Harry teased.

"Hey!"

"Here it comes!" Oliver interrupted, jumping up and down subconsciously in glee as Lee began counting down into the mic from ten. "We need to win this, no matter what!"

"Three...Two...One..." Lee paused, building up the anticipation. "Zero!"

The buzzer blared...

...and the game began.

XxXxX

"Go, Harry!" Hermione cheered from her seat, clapping her hands along with the rest of the Gryffindors. While she didn't care much for sports, she didn't want to miss out on supporting for her friends who were out there in the maze right now. The first-years were cheering the hardest, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the newest additions to Gryffindor house (barring Harry and Ron) would return to their common room after the match with sore palms.

Neville was as encouraging as Hermione, even though he wasn't clapping his hands, but it wasn't his fault as he still had a cast on his right arm. While it was mostly healed and he could've gotten it removed, Madam Pomfrey had insisted on keeping it on for another day or two as to prevent any irregularities and complications regarding his recovery. That was a rare occurrence, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

While he wasn't clapping hard for his Harry and Ron, he was showing his support by other means. He was currently holding a scarlet banner that read _Go Gryffindor Lions_ , courtesy of Dean Thomas, who actually had proficiency in sketching and drawing. He, along with Parvati, who was no slouch in the art department either, had helped in creating the banner with the message in a loopy, golden cursive and a Pyroar on its hind legs when Ron had 'accidentally' let slip that he and Harry were now members of the Gryffindor Glade Team. That bit of news had been, at first, received with scoffs and disbelieving looks before they had finally believed the two.

Neville leaned over the railing slightly, Turtwig wrapping his vines around the boys waist in case he leaned just a little bit more and met an untimely demise. The chubby-faced boy could see the insides of the maze clearly – while there was a big screen to let the images seem clear, it showed only snippets off different players, not the whole field – and everything was golden, and he could see the miniscule forms of the players of each team jogging through the walled corridors. He smirked a little when he saw Terence Higgs, the Slytherin Seeker, run straight into a 'shock hole', causing the third-year and his Toxicroak to writhe and buckle as the sudden paralysis hampered and slowed their movement.

"And Higgs has unknowingly walked into a shock hole!" Lee announced with unsuppressed joy. "Looks like Slytherin's chances of winning this one have sunk lower than the St Anne – sorry, Professor."

"With Slytherin's Seeker incapacitated, Gryffindor can easily win this match," Seamus observed sagely.

"Plus, we've got Ron and Harry on the team, so there's no way we're going to lose – no thanks, Dean," Neville added after that supportive comment, as said had just offered some popcorn. Dean shrugged at the polite refusal, before helping himself and his Blitzle and Seamus' Numel. The electric-type equine nickered in happiness as her teeth ground the popcorn into fine crumbs while Numel simply stared on ahead.

"Ten points to Gryffindor, thanks to a wondrous Leaf Blade by Johnson's Leafeon!" Lee declared as the students in the Gryffindor section of the bleachers erupted into applause. "That Leafeon has been trained to perfect his accuracy, as I learned first-hand after asking Angelina for a date."

"The match, Jordan!" McGonagall reprimanded from next to him.

"You're right Professor, and now its Fred against one of the Slytherin Runners, can't tell who it is but nobody gives a crap about them – er, sorry, Professor," Lee apologised, wincing at the glare he was receiving from his Head of House. "Volbeat and Monferno are trading blows – ooh! Volbeat nearly gets clipped by a sudden Fire Punch, good thing that its quite fast, and Volbeat retaliates with a shocking Thunderbolt!" He grinned at his own pun. "And now – uh-oh; looks like Potter and Weasley are about to have an encounter!"

XxXxX

"So far, so good," Ron breathed as they trudged further into the maze, looking around cautiously. "At this rate we'll reach the Slytherin base with no trouble!" Harry winced and scowled at his friend. "What?"

"Nothing, just that you jinxed us," Harry muttered irritably.

Ron scoffed. "You believe in that superstition as well?" he asked, incredulous. "You're as bad as Mum. She keeps spouting stuff like 'friend of Absol, never prosper'—"

"Let!" Hedwig alerted suddenly, causing the two boys to jump and Cyndaquil to squeak in surprise. Harry and Ron immediately took on defensive stances, narrowing their eyes as the tailed silhouette in front of them lost its blackness to reveal itself as a huge, orange mouse with the tail in the shape of a jagged bolt of lightning – a Raichu.

"Great," Harry groaned. "Thanks a lot, Ron."

"It's not my—"

"CHU!" the Raichu screeched, letting loose a concentrated jolt of electricity at the two.

Harry yelled something and slammed into Ron, who was halfway through his tirade, pushing the boy to the ground. The electricity missed them by an inch and Harry could feel the air ionize even more so than usual next to him for a second. The Raichu snickered, tail flicking as it stared at the spread-eagled boys.

"Looks like we have to fight this thing," Harry said. He turned to Hedwig, who'd taken to the air, and nodded. "Double Team!"

"Flame Wheel!" Ron ordered simultaneously, his pokémon springing into action. Cyndaquil yelled "Cynda!" as he leapt off Ron's shoulder and curled into a ball, wreathed in flames before rolling towards an amused Raichu with high-speed. The electric mouse, having its attention solely focused on the twelve Hedwigs in the air, didn't notice the fire-covered shrew heading straight for it and grunted as Cyndaquil slammed into its belly and scorched its fur. Raichu hissed as it smacked Cyndaquil away with a powerful Iron Tail straight at Ron, who thankfully caught his friend.

"Hedwig, use Leafage!" commanded Harry. Hedwig successfully used the attack, eliciting cries of pain from Raichu as the sharp leaves struck its orange-furred body. "Now Peck, followed by Tackle!" The Rowlet hooted as she swooped down towards Raichu, who was glaring in annoyance. The rat made a mad grab for the owl, but she zipped her way out of Raichu's hands and pecked it straight between the eyes with a glowing beak before flying right back.

"Scabbers, let's go!" Ron yelled in desperation, but groaned when he saw the sleeping form of his Rattata. The purple rodent looked like it had been running for the past four days nonstop and had taken the nap it needed. Ron yelled constantly in a bid to wake his pokémon up; he even contemplated kicking the ungrateful creature, but was spared the energy as Raichu suddenly lunged for Scabbers with a Volt Tackle that sent Ron shrieking.

The collision that followed was so powerful that Scabbers was woken from sleep for the brief moment before he passed out a second before he slammed into the maze's wall.

Ron gulped, recalling Scabbers. "We need to take it— AAH!"

The cause for Ron's shout had been Raichu, for it had suddenly jumped him and began delivering shocks of electricity into Ron's system. Thankfully the Gryffindor trainer suit was resistant to electricity, and other mediums such as fire, and absorbed most of the Thunderbolt, so all the redhead received was enough to inflict recurring paralysis. Still, from Ron's expression, Harry could tell that it hurt like hell and he made to move towards his friend. But before he could take even half a step, a blue and cream-yellow blur shot towards Raichu and smashed into its head.

"Rai!" Raichu screamed as it felt Cyndaquil smash into its skull, effectively stopping the outflow of electricity and causing the orange mouse to let go of Ron, who stumbled away and towards Harry, wincing in pain. Harry caught hold of Ron before he could fall face-first into the floor. He was twitching uncontrollably and his hair was standing on end.

Ron staggered back to his feet. "I'm fine," he insisted. "But we gotta get the hell out of here! We can't take this thing out, you saw what it did to me."

Harry nodded. He snapped his fingers, drawing Hedwig's attention. "Confuse Ray!"

Cyndaquil leapt off Raichu's body just as Hedwig swopped at it, the Rowlet spreading her wings to slow her descent. The electric-type mouse looked up just in time to stare right into Hedwig's eyes, which began to emit an eerie, red glow that seemingly entranced her opponent. Raichu's eyes glazed over for a moment and, once satisfied, Hedwig flew back and perched herself on Harry's outstretched arm.

Raichu went completely berserk after that. It sniped the top of the maze with electricity, slashed the air with a dozen Iron Tails, all the while hissing and shrieking as it attacked imaginary foes. Harry was almost blasted once, but Ron pulled him down by the front of his jacket. Raichu shrieked and launched itself at Ron with a Volt Tackle that he thankfully avoided, before ordering Cyndaquil to use Smokescreen in order for them to get away.

"Thank God," Harry muttered into his arm as they heard Raichu's cries of pain fade into the distance. His eyes were prickling thanks to the oily-black smoke, but not as much as Ron's, which were nearly fully red. Finally, they tore through the roiling smoke...

...but straight into the waiting arms of two Slytherin Runners.

"Well, well, well," one of them cackled. "Wha'd'we got here?"

His companion grinned viciously. "Looks like precious Potter and his pet Weasel're 'bout to piss themselves," he replied with a grin, showcasing his uneven and moulding set of teeth, via which Harry easily recognized him as Derrick Bole, who was known to be one of the most brutal students in Slytherin house, even more so than Marcus Flint. The fifth-year would get as physical as his pokémon, a Machoke that had no boundaries while attacking. Harry had heard from Fred and George, in hushed voices, about Bole's behaviour during the finals of the previous years Glade tournament, during which the Ravenclaw Seeker had come out with limbs broken with enough precision to not cripple her for the rest of her life.

Bole smirked and snapped his fingers, causing his infamous Machoke to appear behind him. The reptile's was utterly impassive and cold, the only hint of emotion being the glint of sadism and remorselessness in its eyes. The other Runner had a Salandit hissing in front of him. Acid dribbled from its fanged maw, corroding the floor, while its back and tail radiated pure heat.

"C'mon, Pucey," Bole told the other Runner, who imitated his trainer's cocky smirk. "Let's teach this punks not to mess with us snakes. Karate Chop!"

The purple fighting-type grunted, before swinging its powerful fist at the Gryffindors in a downward motion. The attack would've broken their arms if it hadn't been for the two of them moving in the opposite direction of each other, causing Machoke's movement to slice the air between them.

"Gah!" Ron exclaimed. "You trying to kill us?!" he screamed at Bole, who simply grinned back, his right eye twitching to give him an air of insanity.

"Not really," the sixth-year Slytherin admitted, "but I ain't gonna tell m'Machoke to pull his punches." Of course, he was bluffing; killing another, even by 'accident' would give him an instant one-way ticket to Azkaban, an experience that even the most hardened of criminals didn't want to undergo. At best his pokémon would be "put down" and he'd have his license revoked, never to train a pokémon for the rest of his life. While he didn't care about his property being executed, the prospect of never owning another monster again was a bit nauseating for him.

Still, he liked making those little firsties gulp.

"Alright, Machoke," Bole hissed. "Get ready for a Thunder Punch! Shock 'em senseless!"

With cold eyes, Machoke charged one fist with crackling electricity before thrusting the arm forward. Since it was attacking humans and not pokémon, the fighting-type summoned just enough electricity for it to not permanently harm them, and with enough force to prevent internal bleeding. Still, that much electricity and brute strength was enough to send Ron flying away and into the wall, with Harry in quick succession.

Harry flinched violently as his back slammed against the wall. A sliver of pain jolted up his spine as quick as a flash before he fell hard to the ground, landing harshly on his butt. His eyes opened just in time to see Hedwig swooping at Machoke for an attack. The Rowlet landed only a few pecks before the reptilian fighting-type swatted her away with a muscular arm.

Harry turned to look at Ron, who had a command at the tip of his tongue. Harry's vision was still swimming from the pain, but he did make out the Weasley's red hair standing in end from the electric discharge, the sight of which would have been comical if they weren't in such a situation. "Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel!"

Cyndaquil twisted into a swirling ball of fire before shooting at Machoke, leaving a trail of dying embers in his wake. The was a high-pitched squeal as the spinning sphere of flames rolled towards Machoke, who grinned. Cyndaquil bounced off the ground to pin his opponent in the face, but Machoke grabbed the shrew between both hands and crushed him in a compressing motion, squashing the fire-type like as if he was a bug with such force that veins popped along its muscular arms before tossing him right back at Ron.

"Cyn...Cyndaquil..." whispered Ron, looking at his pokémon's frail form. Cyndaquil looked terrible – his body was battered and bruised by that single move, which wasn't even classified as a true attack. Harry shuddered to think how powerful the fighting-type would be if it started using its full power.

Bole seemed to pick up on Harry's fear and snorted. Pucey just kept standing and watching from behind the scenes, his Salandit hissing and snarling and spitting potent poisons on the electrified floor. That creature looked creepy and weird enough to become Snape's pokémon.

"Give it up, Potter," Bole said, "and maybe I won't send you and the Weasel to Pomfrey for the rest of the month. If you don't surrender, then...Well, I'll leave it up to your imagination."

"Yeah, Potter." Pucey sniggered. "We can easily put up a Smokescreen here and do whatever we wanna do, and the professors'll be none the wiser."

"Smokescreen..." Ron suddenly got a thinking face that made Harry stare at him in bemusement before the redhead's eyes lit up as a smile spread across his face. "Smokescreen!"

Harry blinked. "Ron, wha—"

Ron slapped a hand over Harry's mouth, effectively shutting him up before he yelled, "Cyndaquil, Smokescreen on Machoke! Heat it up!"

Bole sneered. "I don't know what you're tryna do, dumbass, but it ain't gonna work."

Jets of oily, back smoke streamed out from the pores on Cyndaquil's back, with such speed that they didn't diffuse into the air and headed straight towards Machoke, who braced itself for the oncoming smoke. Harry caught a hint of heat radiating from the smokescreen, but before he could register it Machoke and the rest had already been smothered.

"Remove it!" Harry heard Bole shout.

He couldn't see Machoke, but, the next thing he knew, the smoke was blasted away by a powerful spin of Machoke's body. Its arms had produced enough wind pressure to force the heaty, oily cloud away, although grime and oil still dotted Machoke's reptilian skin. The fighting-type grinned as fiercely as its trainer and cracked its knuckles menacingly.

Salandit, on the other hand, looked like it was going crazy. It was twitching, flinching, basically behaving like it had a seizure. Its heavy-lidded eyes had snapped open and it was practically frothing at the mouth.

Bole frowned at the lizard by his feet, which was vibrating uncontrollably. "Pucey, what the hell is on with—"

"DIT!" Salandit hissed, the poison-type shooting straight at Machoke, who yelped jumped in surprise. Salandit's jaws opened impossibly wide, at a full one-eighty, and snapped shut over Machoke's head. Machoke let out a muffled roar of surprise and pain and anger, its arms flailing and swiping at Salandit frantically. Bole screamed like a little girl at the sight of his pokémon being attacked so brutally, while Pucey just stared, slack-jawed like the pair of Gryffindors standing not too far away.

Harry blinked. "Wh-Wha—"

"Salandit mark themselves with their own soot, which is basically Smokescreen with a heat signature," Ron explained, smirking. "So I ordered Cyndaquil to mark Machoke with that kind of Smokescreen, basically making it a competitor to Salandit. They're extremely aggressive—"

"How do you know all this?" Harry asked, incredulous. So far, Ron had yet to show any intellectual prowess.

He looked sheepish. "Uh, Hermione was telling us about it yesterday. I guess I was just paying more attention than normal."

"Good thing, too," Harry said dryly, his eyes never leaving the Slytherins. Machoke had finally managed to pry Salandit off its head and an all-out brawl was occurring. Bole and Pucey were shouting orders like mad and looked close to punching each other.

Ron grinned at Cyndaquil. "Smokescreen!" A mass of oily smoke burst forth, clouding everyone's sight. Without a second to lose, Harry and Ron charged straight for the other end of the pathway, but not before tripping the screaming Slytherins and giving them a close-up view of the golden floor.

XxXxX

"And a clever and ingenious move from Ron Weasley allows him and Potter to move closer to the Slytherin Flag!" Lee bellowed cheerfully. "What other tricks do these first-years have up their sleeves?!"

In the stands, Hermione huffed. "Huh," she muttered. "He actually was listening to me yesterday." She tried to hide how impressed she was, but couldn't.

"Maybe Ron's not as thick as we thought he was," Neville mused out loud.

"Maybe," she agreed.

XxXxX

They manoeuvred their way through the rest of the maze quite easily. They encountered a Magneton, once, although they took care of it in a few minutes, adding several more points to the team. Harry even saw Alicia and her Hitmontop duking it out with a Slytherin Runner's Umbreon, but they quietly steered clear from the battle.

Harry took a left again, then a right, remembering the directions he would need to trace back to his own team's base. He hadn't memorised the maze but it wasn't like he was completely clueless either. He had an idea of how to get back to the Gryffindor base and all it needed to do was work.

" _Pssst_!"

Harry flinched and whipped around, nearly smacking the whisperer in the face as he did so. Hedwig's talons dug deeper into his jacket, but her grip loosened as the Rowlet stared directly into the faces of Katie Bell and her Fraxure.

"You could've hurt me, you know." Her face was bent in faux hurt.

"Katie!" Harry hissed in hushed whispers. "What're you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," she replied. "Look, the two of you might've been training really hard the last few weeks, but I never expected you to get the flag with next to no trouble. No offense, but your pokémon are weak." Ron pouted, but thankfully said nothing. "Anyway, I've been waiting here for the past fifteen minutes for you so that I can help you get that flag away from that bitch Selwyn." She jabbed her thumb in the direction of one of the pathways at the crossroads. "So, you coming or what?"

Ron shrugged. "Three heads are better than two."

Katie grinned. "You're smarter than your brothers, at least. So here's the plan – Ron and I will charge straight at the Slytherin Keeper and attack. Weasley, you gotta attack with all you've got, because you're not very useful at this stage." Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Katie just pressed on. "When Harry gets the flag, I'll go with him while you keep Selwyn busy. Got it?"

Ron nodded grudgingly. "Okay," said Harry.

Katie smiled. "Alright. Let's go."

XxXxX

Selwyn was having a fairly uneventful time so far. Her Slytherin Defenders had stuck around for some time before heading out, deeming the area to be safe and trusting their Keeper to pulverise anyone wearing red and gold. Her Gigalith had remained on guard while its trainer passed time by examining the crimson rocks embedded in her pokémon.

Things had livened up only a few times when the blood-traitor Weasley twins came after her to weaken the Keeper's defences, but Gigalith had weathered each blow from their bug-type pokémon and repelled them within minutes. Then came Johnson and her Leafeon, but the Slytherin Defenders had been tailing her without her knowledge. Suffice to say that she'd received a surprise attack and was out of the game for now.

And so it came as a major surprise when three red-and-gold clad Glade players appeared in her base, each one wearing determined expressions. Selwyn almost snickered when she saw the miniscule Rowlet and Cyndaquil Potter and Weasley had respectively. At least Bell's Fraxure would prove a challenge to last a couple minutes.

"Finally," drawled Selwyn in a manner that most dignified Slytherins had perfected over the years. "I was getting bored over here. And Potter, too!"

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Bell was saying. "Give up the flag and you won't have to see your Gigalith under treatment for the rest of the year. Or—"

"Save it, Bell," Selwyn interrupted. "We both know that's not going to happen. So why don't we just get on with it, eh?"

"Suit yourself." Bell nodded at Potter and Weasley, who barked out orders for their pokémon to get ready. _Pitiful_ , Selwyn mused mirthlessly.

"Fraxure, Dual Chop!" yelled Bell, while Potter called for his Rowlet – Hedwig, he called her – to use Leafage. Selwyn was impressed to see that Weasley wasn't as stupid as the rest of his brothers – he just told Cyndaquil to hang back.

Fraxure's tusks glowed emerald green, and the dragon prepared to smash said tusks into Gigalith's rock-hard body. Selwyn didn't even bother batting an eye, because she had the perfect counter for this. "Rock Tomb."

Gigalith stomped a massive foot, and a ring of huge rocks sprouted out of the ground and encircled Selwyn, the flag and her pokémon protectively. Although it denied her vision and hearing, the technique she had just executed was invaluable. She wore a satisfied smirk as she heard something smash into the cage of rocks from the outside. There was a small web of rocks visible, but it didn't give way.

There was a muffled shout that sounded like 'Destroy it', and then a continuous onslaught began hammering the protective wall of rocks. Selwyn felt a brief pang of fear as the circle of stone shuddered, and jogged behind Gigalith's massive frame.

An emerald green tusk sliced through the protective barrier, chunks of rock flying away. With a brief struggle the tusk pulled out, before the Rock Tomb was hammered once again.

Selwyn braced herself for it to break. A few seconds later she decided it was time, and a second after Bell's Fraxure destroyed the Rock Tomb Selwyn cried, "Stone Edge!"

XxXxX

Harry watched in fearful anticipation as Fraxure gave the dome of stone one last hit. It was an impressive technique, there was no doubt about that, and he wondered if Slytherin would defeat Gryffindor at a Glade match once again. Then he clenched his fist as Fraxure roared, the powerful tusks jutting out of either side of its mouth battering the rock and crumbling it to dust.

As soon as it fell away, Selwyn shouted an order, and the next thing her knew a sharp blade of stone punched out of the ground and smashed into Fraxure's lower jaw, sending it skywards. The dragon-type groaned as it was repelled from the surprise attack, but it got back up in time to see Gigalith executing another Stone Edge. This time it was ready, and the Stone Edge exploded in a burst of smaller rocks.

"Leafage!" Harry shouted. Hedwig responded by flourishing her wings and pelting Gigalith's smooth, rocky hide with blades of leaf, making the creature of stone grunt. Gigalith triggered another line of Stone Edges, but Hedwig narrowly escaped the sharp rocks.

"Gigalith, Power Gem!"

A brilliant beam of glittering red light streamed out of one of the red stones on Gigalith, clipping Hedwig in her right wing. The Rowlet screeched in pain and plummeted to the ground, but Harry caught her in a roll and clutched her close to his chest. Ron, however, either being stupid or brave, sacrificed himself for Cyndaquil and took the remains of the Power Gem to his chest. While his trainer jacket absorbed most of the brunt, he was still knocked into the air before he skidded on the ground.

"Ron, you idiot!" Harry groused to himself as he saw his best friend push himself back up dizzily.

"Fraxure, use Dragon Pulse!" Katie roared.

"Power Gem, Gigalith!" said the Slytherin Keeper.

The two attacks met in mid-air, and though they seemed evenly matched the stream of rocky energy tore through the Dragon Pulse, albeit significantly weaker. Fraxure sliced the beam into half just as launched a Hyper Beam.

"Katie!" Harry said. The girl's eyes widened, but then they turned harder than diamonds. "Giga Impact, Fraxure!" she yelled.

A focal point of energy appeared at the middle of Fraxure's skull before streams of white energy spread from it, connected by a coat of translucent purple energy. The gifts Impact met Gigalith's Hyper Beam head-on, and the two of them were locked in a stalemate until Harry decided to intervene.

"Hedwig, Confuse Ray!"

Hedwig hooted, the Rowlet's eyes flashing brilliantly as she emitted a beam of purplish-black light at Gigalith. The rock-type blinked as spots formed in front of its eyes as well as Selwyn, who staggered back a few steps.

When her vision cleared, the Slytherin Keeper hissed as she saw Katie's Fraxure and Ron's Cyndaquil blocking its path as one Harry James Potter raced away, the metal poles held tightly in his hand and the silver and green flag fluttered behind him.

XxXxX

Harry kept running without a glance at his back. He'd first been hesitant when Katie told him to take the Slytherin Flag back to their base, but a split-second later he'd made the decision by sliding through between Gigalith's legs while Selwyn was disoriented and sprinting away with all the strength in his legs.

It had been a mere three seconds before Katie's cries of "We'll hold her off!" faded into the background and Harry was well and truly alone in the maze.

He knew that he was close to his team's base. He didn't know how, but he just did. Hedwig was flying up ahead him to scout for any dangers and hooting twice when the coast was clear.

Suddenly, she squawked in surprise, and Harry knew why.

He was standing in a crossroads of sorts. There were two pathways to either side of him, and two more ahead and behind. On his left and right were a Luxio an Alolan Graveler respectively. And just fifteen meters ahead of him were a trio of Slytherin Runners and a Defender holding the Weasley twins off.

He was well and truly, in every sense, _fucked_.

One of the Slytherins must've noticed him and realized this, because he grinned and said, "Hey, it's Potty!"

Fred's eyes widened at that. "Harry?" the twins chorused before swiftly firing orders to their pokémon. It seemed that their Illumise and Volbeat weren't strong enough to hold three pokémon at once.

"And the bastard's gotten our Flag," the Slytherin groused in irritation. "Hold those paupers off, I'll take care of our dear Boy-Who-Lived."

"Alright, Flint!" his teammate yelled. "Whatever you say— Herdier, Fire Fang!"

"Thunderbolt!" Fred and George shouted. The combined, not to mention strengthened, blasts of electricity shocked the mutt, making it whine in pain before a swift kick from its trainer made it lunge again.

Flint and his Floatzel walked menacingly, making Harry gulp. The Luxio and Graveler weren't helping matters. The quadruped electric-type growled angrily, while the electric-type Graveler smashed its four fists together in anticipation. Both pokémon were keeping one eye on each other as to make sure that they were the one to claim their prey.

"Merlin's balls," muttered Harry. He had a desire to beat Marcus Flint into a pulp with the Slytherin Flag, but he knew that Flint was much stronger than him. Hell, he'd probably be strong enough to snap the pole of the flag into half.

Flint grinned savagely. "Floatzel, u—"

George roared in frustration. "Sod off, Flint!"

"—se Aq—"

At the same time, the Luxio and Graveler began to spark with electricity.

"—ua Jet!"

Floatzel nodded, before lunging at Harry in a corkscrewing motion as a cloak or water enshrouded it. The otter had no qualms of risking the possibility of killing a child.

At the same time, Luxio and Graveler released dual Discharges of unrefined electricity.

In a split-split-second, Harry made his decision. He ducked down, pulling Hedwig close to his chest as Floatzel aimed right for his head. Unfortunately, the Alolan Graveler and Luxio that had orders to patrol the maze released electrical attacks at a precise and fortunate moment – well, unfortunate for Flint.

Floatzel was positioned right where Harry's head had been and the attacks smashed into either side of it. The Discharge was amplified by the cloak of water, and a blinding flash filled the air, followed by the sizzling of smoke. When Harry next got up, he looked at the smoking form of an unconscious Floatzel lying next to him.

Silence filled the air. Even Fred, George and the other two Slytherins were watching the events unfold in anticipation, battle forgotten.

Flint was practically furious. "You arsehole!" he shouted. "I swear to the gods, I will flay you alive! ARGH!"

The wild pokémon two were angry for missing their mark, and fired again. This time, Harry had prepared a plan. In the meantime, Fred and George had taken their opponents by surprise, and this time it was they who were pushing their opponents back. Harry held up flag and, taking precise aim, tossed it at Flint like a javelin with all his might the exact same time the electric-type pokémon launched their respective electric-type attacks.

The pole acted exactly as Harry wanted it to. Like a lightning rod, the electricity swerved through the air and followed it, Harry ducking down so that he wouldn't get shocked by a stray bolt. The flag flew over Flint's head and Flint, being the Slytherin idiot he was, reached out for the flag before it went out of his reach and caught hold of it the same time the electricity struck it.

The resulting explosion was deafening.

XxXxX

"Take a look at that, folks!" Lee was grinning as he announced that into the microphone. Most of the students were just staring at the occurrence between Harry Potter and Marcus Flint. The plan was an ingenious one, however brutal; even Hermione had to grudgingly admit that she wouldn't have thought of it. The teachers' eyes were glued to the scene, some amused, others horrified, impressed, and even angry, in Snape's case. The Head of Slytherin House was roaring wildly in furiousness and demanding Potter be expelled, the regular drivel.

"While the flag cannot be used to attack, in this case it was on a means for the patrolling pokémon in the maze to execute moves," Lee stated once the judges had said whether it was a foul or not. "Therefore Potter gets to keep playing...and it looks like he's going to win!"

Hermione, Inkay, Neville and Turtwig watched in rapt fascination as Harry sprinted towards Flint and grabbed the flag without slowing down. The sliver and green flag attached was burnt at the ends, and Flint's unconscious boy was twitching. Fred and George allowed their teammate to pass and sacrificed themselves and the Slytherin Defenders to take the brunt of the Shock Wave and Thunderbolt fired at them in order to keep Harry going to their base.

The students watched as Harry Potter and Terence Higgs raced to their respective bases with the opposing team's flags. Each of them were getting closer and closer. Harry expertly dodged a Slytherin Runner – Derrick Bole, who'd managed to survive the ordeal against Pucey's Salandit and the wild Raichu – who was determined to stop him. Higgs battled Angelina's Leafeon into submission with his Charmeleon, which slowed him down a few seconds, but the older boy managed to catch up.

It looked like Slytherin was going to win, but just then Ron jumped out of a corner and held Cyndaquil back-first at Higgs, before ordering the shrew to use Smokescreen. Everything was opaque for a moment before Higgs burst forth, his eyes red with itches.

"He's not going to make it!" Dean announced as he pointed at Harry, who seemingly tripped.

He was wrong.

Harry jumped straight in the air and landed on Pucey's back, who had been battling Oliver and his Bastiodon. The Slytherin grunted as Harry pushed once again with his legs, launching himself high over Oliver and onto Bastiodon's shoulders before plunging the flag into the slot meant for the other teams flag.

The shrill blaring of a buzzer filled the air, and the tiles went red.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle. "Gryffindor wins!"

XxXxX

 **Phew! Now that was a _tiring_ one! Once again, sorry for the severely late update, but, y'know, exams and all. Anyway, I hope you liked this one. I'm not particularly happy with it, but it'll be enough to please you guys.**

 **The next chapter will come out later in Dec, probably around the twentieth or so. I need to keep up with Impractical Jokers.**

 **Also, I won't be doing review responses this chapter. Sorry, everyone.**

 **Until next time, then :)**


	11. Christmas at Hogwarts

_Chapter Ten: Christmas at Hogwarts_

Harry's and Ron's euphoria on winning the match lasted several days, until McGonagall yelled at them to either pay attention in Pokémon Biology or get out of the class. Suffice to say, they'd kept their happiness at bare minimum, but the rest of Gryffindor kept slapping them on the back and/or voicing their praise.

Oliver was happiest; he looked like he was going to shed tears. (According to Alicia, Slytherin had crushed Gryffindor repeatedly for the past several years, which was why Oliver was so joyful for this win.) The only bad outcome was that Wood swore to put up an even harsher training regime so that they could win their next match faster.

The only sour grapes were Slytherin, and Draco Malfoy in particular. And even though the blond kept insulting Harry's Seeking abilities and Ron's prowess as a Defender, not many people cared after viewing the outcome of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match.

On the Saturday after the match, Hagrid invited them to join him in the Forbidden Forest. Ron and Harry readily accepted, and so did Hermione and Neville, although the latter two were a bit hesitant.

Currently they were in the forest, Hagrid treating them to various, exotic pokémon and plants that resided in there. Hermione looked like she was having a field day.

"An' there's a Combee-hive at the end of the forest," Hagrid stated, minutes after he had pointed at a skittish Scyther that buzzed off the moment it saw them. Fang trotted next to Neville, the shy boy hesitantly stroking the Houndoom while his Turtwig rode on Fang's back. "Yeh should see it; it's mazin'."

Hermione's eyes bugged out. "A _Combee-hive_? Are you _sure_ , Hagrid?"

Hagrid chuckled. "'Course. Bin there meself. Them walls er made of amber, and I might admit ter nickin' a handful er two from there."

"B-But Hagrid, it's dangerous! The Department of Pokémon Habitats has classified Combee-hives as a category five location. You could've been killed! Vespiqueen are very dangerous—"

"Nah, nonsense," Hagrid dismissed. "They're jus' misunderstood creatures, is all. None of them'll hurt a fly unless they're provoked. I mean, a dog'll bite yeh if yeh bait it…"

Hagrid shrugged before continuing. "An' anyway, it's all Hogwarts property, after all. Prefesser Dumbledore don't mind it bein' 'ere. Hogwarts is the safest place in Omnis."

"Not if you keep a bloody Tyranitar in the school," Ron muttered, loud enough for Hagrid to hear.

The colossal man paled. "Wha…Tyranitar?" He looked shocked. "'Ave yeh bin snoopin' 'round the castle at night? How d'yeh know 'bout Rocky?!"

Neville stopped petting Fang, causing the mutt to whine. " _Rocky_?" he said, incredulous. "It has a name?!"

Hagrid adjusted his coat. "'Course _he_ has a name," he groused. "He's my pokémon, after all!"

"Then why's a Tyranitar locked up in a school? Shouldn't you keep him in your pokéball?" asked Ron.

Hagrid snorted. "Tha's because Prefesser Dumbledore asked me to help in guardin' the—" He stopped himself, eyes widened at letting this tiny bit of information escape.

Hermione caught onto it. "Guarding what?" she asked sharply.

"Is it the thing you took from Gringotts, Hagrid?" Harry guessed.

"Look, it's none o' yer business, lemme tell yeh tha'," Hagrid said, scowling. "So don' keep askin' me questions an' all."

"Then whose business is it, Hagrid?" Harry pressed. He was sure that their huge friend would give a clue once again.

"Why, Prefessers Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel's, o' course."

Then Hagrid drew a long gasp, realizing his slip up. But when Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville kept badgering him about it, he just kept his mouth shut, unwilling to give away any more secrets accidentally.

But the four students returned to the castle in higher spirits, happy at the fact that they had at least something to distract their minds from classes.

XxXxX

It was with a fair amount of reluctance that Neville joined Harry, Ron and Hermione in their search for the true identity of what was being hidden on the third floor. Hermione had been the most eager out of the four to procure that information; her insatiable thirst for knowledge drove her miles on end. Harry and Ron joined because of the excitement it caused, while Neville agreed only because he didn't want to be left out.

As November turned to December, the Gryffindor Four quickly found themselves dividing their time between classes, homework, the Glade, and finding information about Nicolas Flamel. They were so caught up in their many activities that they barely noticed Christmas approaching until McGonagall asked the Gryffindors if they would be signing up to stay at Hogwarts, or leave for home.

"Blimey, time flies so fast," Ron muttered as he took out Harry's Gyarados card during a TCG match. "I barely noticed Christmas was coming!"

"Well, if you hadn't had your nose stuck in the library searching for Nicolas Flamel, you would've realized that, Ronald," Hermione said as she adjusted her backpack next to him. She was the only one of them going home for the Christmas break.

Ron scowled at her. "That's rich coming from you," he retorted. Hermione had the decency to look abashed.

"Anyway," Neville said, changing the topic once Ron decimated the rest of Harry's cards in minutes, "why aren't you going, Ron?"

Ron shrugged, making Cyndaquil squeak on his shoulders. "Mum and Dad are visiting my brother Charlie, in Unova," he told them. "Oh yeah, and Ginny's going with them, too. Charlie's apprenticing under Leader Drayden in Opelucid City there, so he gets to raise his own dragon-type – it's an Axew, before you ask. Opelucid's pretty nice, but, eh…I'd rather spend my first Christmas of Hogwarts at Hogwarts."

"Speaking of apprenticing, you're pretty lucky Professor Sprout took you in for the break, Neville," Harry told his friend. Neville blushed.

"Y-Yeah, but it's mostly for extra credit…I mean, I do okay in Herbology, b-but—"

"'Okay'?" Ron said, incredulous. "Neville, you're the best in the class! You're even better than Hermione!" The last part seemed to touch a nerve, because Hermione scowled at Ron, while Neville muttered a soft thank-you as he began petting Turtwig.

Harry had immediately signed up to stay at Hogwarts – there was no way he was going to spend his winter holidays at his relatives' place. Well, it wouldn't be much of a holiday there, considering the Dursleys, who would most probably make him work like a donkey, and he wasn't going to go back when he was getting a much sweeter deal here. Well, Harry probably figured that his aunt and uncle would do their utmost for him to stay away from them as long as possible.

Draco had been a particular menace in reminding Harry about this fact, so Harry was glad to see the Slytherin boy leave for home along with the others. In fact, Draco had been an even bigger pain in Harry's backside ever since Gryffindor had defeated Slytherin in the Glade. He kept trying to belittle the bespectacled boy every chance he got and throwing insults about his skills in the Glade whenever people were around. The only good thing was that the rest of the students barely gave a care about Draco, instead looking at him with impressed eyes at the fact that he'd managed to outclass a Seeker years older to him.

"Well, I see you," Hermione told them as she waved them goodbye. "Don't forget to look for the Nicolas Flamel!"

When Harry and the other two boys assured her, Hermione walked away with the rest of the students, leaving Harry, Ron and Neville to begin another game with their decks of cards.

XxXxX

Harry woke up on Christmas morning to the sound of cheers and paper crinkling next to him. With the intent to investigate the sound and effectively shut it off, he bolted upright and glared out of his four-poster, only for him to frown when he saw the source of the noise.

Ron was sitting at the foot of his bed with Cyndaquil, Neville doing the same as Turtwig dozed next to his trainer. "Ron, you're awake?" Harry said, incredulous. As far as he knew, Ron was never a morning person.

Ron snorted. "It's Christmas, mate. C'mon!" he said. Harry, puzzled, got off his bed. He ignored the cold stone under his bare feet as he got up and peered around the corner of his bed, his heart nearly stopping when he did so.

There were presents.

"Are those…for me?" he stuttered disbelievingly. Ron gave him an odd look and opened his mouth to speak, only to close it when Neville quelled him with a glare. Harry moved gingerly and plopped down to his knees, looking at the pile of gifts with incredulity. Sure, his pile was smaller than Ron's and Neville's, but the fact remained that he had presents for himself. The Dursleys, while they celebrated Christmas, never deigned to give him gifts of his own. In fact, Vernon took particular pleasure in making Harry stand in the corner of the living room and look as Dudley unwrapped his mountain of presents in front of the bespectacled boy.

"Go on," Ron urged with a nudge. "Open them!"

The parcel on top was wrapped in thick brown paper marked with Hagrid's familiar thick scrawl. With little difficultly, he found out that it contained a carved wooden flute. When he blew on the flute, it sounded a bit like Hedwig, and Harry wondered whether Hagrid had been thinking of the Rowlet as he'd made it.

The next present was a box of chocolates from Hermione, which was ironic since her parents were dentists. Harry noticed Neville watching him as he moved onto the gift he'd received from Neville, which turned out to be three ultra-balls, and he thanked his chubby friend profusely, making him blush. Ron had gotten him a book about the Glade.

Harry struggled to keep himself from tearing up during the unwrapping of presents. His friends had given him gifts without asking for anything in return, and that truly made him smile.

There were two presents left to be unwrapped, and Harry decided to undo the bigger one first. Ron blushed in embarrassment. "Erm, I think that may be from my mum. I, uh, might've mentioned that you didn't expect to get a lot of presents," he said, as if he was apologizing.

Harry tore it open to find a knitted, emerald green jumper, alongside a box of homemade fudge. Harry held up the jumper in front of him, his eyes wide.

Ron groaned. "Oh, no…she made you a Weasley jumper. Sorry, Harry."

He gasped at Ron. "Are you mad, Ron?" he choked out. "This is amazing!" He quickly put it on, then adjusted his glasses and grinned widely at Neville and Ron. "Tell your mum I loved it, okay, Ron?"

Ron rubbed the back of his neck as Neville chuckled. "Erm, alright, mate."

Harry looked at his only pokémon, who had taken to watching the proceedings silently from the perch. "What do you think, Hedwig?"

Hedwig glided up to Harry and landed on his shoulder, looking at the jumper with a gimlet eye before hooting in acceptance.

Neville was busy tying a mystic water around Trevor's neck and slowly feeding Turtwig Yache berries while Ron was skimming through his Chudley Toucannon guide as Cyndaquil lazed on his trainer's stomach. Harry, on the other hand, was busy unwrapping the last and final gift, which was a small box covered in pinstriped wrapper.

"What's that, Harry?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged. "Dunno. I'm intending to find out, though…"

It took ten seconds tearing it open, but when it was Harry stared at it like as if it was the largest diamond in the world.

"No way…"

Neville perked up and crawled over to Harry's side. "What?" he asked curiously as Ron joined them.

Nestled in Harry's palm was a shiny, red-and-white pokéball. It looked brand new, but Harry new knew it wasn't, from the small, fading scratches all over it. On the back of the pokéball was a small note, written in a loopy cursive handwriting, which Harry readily ignored until Ron pointed it out.

 _To Harry,_

 _This pokémon, kept in your father's pokéball, was the one you were supposed to start out with, had your parents survived. I had been entrusted to keep this for you until you came of age, and the time has come._

 _A very merry Christmas to you._

Harry stared at it, shocked to the very core. Neville had his mouth parted in surprise while Ron muttered, "Bloody hell." Was this truly his father's pokéball – and the pokémon his parents had chosen for him…?

He turned it in his fingers, and noticed grooves in the back of the capture device. He held it close to his eyes, and spoke the word carved into the pokéball, neatly and efficiently. "Prongs…"

Neville frowned. "What did you say, Harry?"

The boy shook his head. "There's 'Prongs' written on the back of it. Do any of you know what it means?"

Ron shrugged. "Maybe it's the name of the pokémon?"

Harry swallowed thickly, then proceeded to tap the release button. A beam of red energy shot out of the center, and began to materialize into the pokémon it contained.

The pokémon that came out blinked its intelligent, black eyes as it surveyed the three humans peering curiously at it. It looked like a deer, a little over two feet tall, with white and cream fur along its body. There was a small patch of snow between its larger ears, and its hooves thudded loudly against the floor before crying out happily at them, as it rushed towards Harry, tackling him to the ground playfully.

Hedwig shrieked angrily, ready to attack the pokémon, but the Rowlet stopped when she realized that the newcomer was nuzzling Harry, who was chuckling nervously. Ron and Neville simply looked on in surprise.

Harry ran his hands along the soft fur of the deer in front of him. He might not have known it for more than ten seconds, but he felt an instant connection to the pokémon. It was the same spark he'd received when he'd come upon Hedwig back in Ollivander's Pokémon Emporium.

Harry laughed. "Who are you?" he said smilingly.

He looked up at Ron and Neville. "What pokémon is it, guys?" he asked them.

"It's a D-Deerling," Neville answered. "My gran has a few of them in our greenhouse and g-gym."

"Deerling…" he repeated. Harry looked at the pokémon. "Is your name Prongs?"

The Deerling yipped happily and nuzzled him again. Harry laughed. "Well, it's got a nice ring. Prongs it is."

"You're lucky, mate," Ron said in awe, and a hint of envy. He snorted. "I can't say I'm not jealous. I'm the only one who still has a single pokémon!"

Neville looked at him in confusion. "You have Cyndaquil and Scabbers."

Ron glowered. "Scabbers doesn't count! All he does is eat and sleep. It's as if he keeps floating between the world of the dead and living every twelve hours…"

Harry took out his pokédex and scanned Prongs, who quickly began chattering with the rest of the pokémon in the room.

 _Deerling, the season pokémon. Their coloring changes according to the seasons and can be slightly affected by the temperature and humidity as well._

 _This Deerling is male and knows the moves: Tackle, Agility, Double Kick, Camouflage, Leech Seed and Sand Attack. Its ability is Sap Sipper, which allows it to become stronger every time it is hit with a grass-type move._

Harry smiled. "Can you show me some tricks, Prongs?" he asked, drawing everybody's attention.

Prongs looked at him with a smirk before squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. Everybody looked curiously as the seconds ticked by: three, four, five…

Then the Deerling disappeared.

"Prongs!" Harry, Ron and Neville yelled in alarm.

There was a yip of delight, and then Prongs reappeared, as if being draped with his own skin. The Deerling smirked at them, smug that he had managed to successfully prank the three Gryffindors.

"What was that?!" Harry yelled, incredulous.

Neville furrowed his brow, then snapped his fingers. "I think that was a perfect Camouflage attack," he guessed. Harry and Ron looked at him in puzzlement, so the boy elaborated as he began to pet Turtwig. "Well, most pokémon are still visible by their shape when they use Camouflage as a move, but they never become truly invisible…" His eyes widened suddenly. "A Deerling, perfect invisibility…Harry, Prongs is your dad's Sawsbuck's son!"

Harry felt like someone had punched him. "What?" Ron exclaimed, talking on his friend's behalf.

Neville began to look at Prongs with newfound interest and awe. "Harry, your dad's cornerstone pokémon was a Sawsbuck…And an amazing one at that! It was one of the few pokémon capable of managing a true Camouflage, and the only one in the world able to project the move onto other, making them invisible too…I heard my gran tell me about it after, you know…" There was an awkward silence.

But Harry didn't care. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at the lone child of his father's pokémon, made an orphan just like him. Pulling Prongs into a hug, he was just happy that he had something to remind him of his deceased parents.

XxXxX

 **Yes, I know, it's horribly short, and I'm sorry… I'm still recovering from my absolutely brutal exams, and I just continued where I'd left off, with no idea what to write next. I wanted to guys something after such a long break, even if it isn't much. I think of this as a transition chapter, which is why I don't mind it being short. Nevertheless, the next several chapters will be packed with a lot of words.**

 **However, I keep no promises… *smiles deviously***

 **Say hello to Prongs! I was originally going to give Harry his invisibility cloak and give Harry a Deerling in year three, but as I was researching the Deerling line, I found out about Camouflage and I couldn't resist! It seems like a very realistic and probable solution to Harry's invisibility cloak, to me, at least. I know it resembles Harry receiving Ludwig in Mr Chaos' fanfiction, but, well, I can't help it. I also wanted Harry's team to get to two pokémon, and writing about only Hedwig (Harry's Rowlet) was boring me.**

 **I am also going to be putting up polls for which pokémon Neville should get. I have already chosen the rest of Neville's team, but I am allowing you readers to select the last two slots of Neville's roster. The choices are: Lotad, Fomantis, Skiddo, Pansage, Maractus, Tropius, Lileep. You can vote for only one however, and the two with the most number of votes will be added into Neville's team. I'll leave this poll up till the end of book one, after which I will be putting up a poll for our beloved blond prince, Draco Malfoy!**

 **As always, leave a review for any constructive criticism, praise, hate messages, whatever. I don't mind unless it's the last one, lol. Thanks to everyone who's still reading this and for those who've left favorites, reviews and follows! Happy reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter.**

 **P.S. I think the author's note was longer than the chapter itself, but whatever. I guess I'm just making it longer by typing furthermore. Maybe I should stop. Right now. Okay, I'm done.**

 **I'll just, uh…leave quietly…**


	12. Nicolas Flamel and the Jewel of Life

"So?" Ron prompted. "What does it say?"

Hermione huffed. She was still a bit annoyed with Ron and Harry for being lax in their research, and almost livid when they told her that they'd completely forgotten about Nicolas Flamel over the holidays. It wasn't their fault, though, but Hermione didn't take that into consideration. She had understood somewhat when Harry had told her about Prongs, and had been fascinated with the Deerling's ability to camouflage perfectly and even exert its invisibility powers over others, but she'd soon forgotten about that when the two boys had asked her if she had found something about Flamel.

"I still can't believe the two of you didn't bother spending at least a second trying to find out more about Nicolas Flamel," Hermione said haughtily, appalled. Ron scowled.

"Not all of us are bookworms like you," he snapped. Hermione huffed.

"Anyway," Neville interjected, not wanting another argument between Ron and Hermione to bubble. They had enough of those to begin with. "Care to tell us, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded and cleared her throat. "Right. ' _Nicolas Flamel was born in Laverre City, then known as the Fleur-de-lys province, in the year 1327. Flamel is a renowned archaeologist and paleontologist, known for being the first one to discover the sail fossils in the Kalos region. His most important and famous discovery, however, is that of the Jewel of Life, which Flamel procured in 1371 during his travels in the Sinnoh region of the same year_.' There's a lot of other stuff written about him, such as his participation in the Kalos Civil War, and how he was appointed as ambassador of the Kohto Union in 1912—"

"Wait, what?" Harry exclaimed, hardly believing his ears. "B— But you said that Flamel was born in the early fourteenth century. He'd have to be close to six hundred years old to become ambassador!"

Hermione smiled. "He is. Six hundred and sixty-six years old, to be precise. And only because of the Jewel of Life."

"What's that, exactly?"

"Uh, I remember Mum telling me about it," Ron muttered. "She told me and Gin how there was famine and drought in Sinnoh for several months, a thousand years ago. After hearing the cries and pleas of pokémon and humans alike, Arceus – the Creator – took pity on them. He told them, however, that only if they managed to bring all of his Plates together would he come down and cancel the drought. Everybody was happy by this piece of news, but nobody wanted to do the dirty work – except for one bloke. I think his name was Damos or something…Anyway, this Damos guy took it upon himself to collect all eighteen plates. It took him a year to finally bring every single one of them, but when he did, Arceus came down and merged a bunch of them to create the Jewel of Life to restore the bodies of every pokémon and human that died—"

"That's just a fairy tale, Ron," Hermione said condescendingly. "Mythical pokémon don't exist. Many critics believe that the Jewel of Life just has an infinite amount of energy that can be used to prolong a life."

Ron scoffed. "Come off it. How do you explain Mewtwo then, huh?" he said.

Hermione frowned. "Mew doesn't exist, Ron! Mewtwo was _not_ a perfect clone. It's a fake!"

"Tell that to the people who saw Mew," Ron told her.

"I think we're getting a little off topic here," Harry said before Hermione could refute Ron's statement. "But what's the Jewel of Life doing here in Hogwarts?"

"I don't know, but my guess would be that Nicolas Flamel gave it to Dumbledore for safekeeping after he got wind that someone was trying to steal it. How else do you explain the break-in at Gringotts the same day that Hagrid took it from there?"

It seemed like a plausible reason, Harry conceded. His eyes moved to the book in front of Hermione, and with a curious frown he pulled it towards him and examined the picture next to the blocks of text. The image of a large, crystal orb, just a bit bigger than an ultra-ball, lay on top of a small, velvet, red pillow. It was practically glowing with green energy, with abstract designs in a golden hue. The core was brimming with power, a white-hot center embedded within it.

"But who'd want to steal it?" Neville asked.

"A lot of people," Hermione said. "Just think about it – wouldn't you want to live forever? Not worry about dying?"

"Whoever wants to steal it, they'd have to be a nutter," Ron murmured.

"And powerful enough to set a herd of Bewear on the school," Harry added. "They'd have to be really gutsy to risk Dumbledore's anger. The question is: _who_ is after the stone?"

"That's easy, innit?" Ron quipped. "It's _Snape_!"

"Ron, Professor Snape is a _teacher_!" Hermione gasped. "He would never do such a thing."

"Come on, Hermione," Ron said. "The guy's an evil git! Of course he'd want the Jewel of Life!"

"Professor Snape might be a bit…rude," Hermione said carefully, not wanting to badmouth a teacher, "but he would never dare to steal the Jewel – why would Dumbledore hire him if he couldn't trust him?"

While the idea seemed ridiculous, Harry couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt as he entertained this notion. Snape was anything but a nice guy – he was a mean, loathsome man, with a vindictive streak and hell-bent on harassing anyone except for the Slytherins. He seemed like the typical first choice for something like this. The fact that he didn't care about students being injured during the Halloween disaster didn't seem to help him, either.

"Maybe Snape took up the teaching job just so that he could be able to steal the Jewel of Life— just hear me out, Hermione!" Ron added as Hermione opened her mouth. "Maybe he knew Flamel was going to give Dumbledore the Jewel, so he took up a job here and sucked up to Dumbledore until he trusted him before making his move!"

"A-As much as I hate to say it, Ron's idea does seem plausible," Neville murmured.

"Why don't we keep an eye on Snape?" Harry suggested. "There are four of us; if he does steal it, we'll have proof."

"But what if he isn't the thief?" Hermione said desperately.

"And what if he is?" Harry countered. When he got no response, he continued, this time sounding a little bit smug. "Anyway, we've got to make sure he doesn't escape our sight. The only problem is that we won't be able to do so after curfew…"

At this, Hermione and Neville frowned. Harry pondered over this obstacle for a few moments before looking up. He was confused when he saw Ron grinning. "What're you smiling at?" Harry asked.

Ron shook his head. "About keeping an eye on him; I know some people who'll be able to help us with that…"

XxXxX

Fred and George Weasley looked at the four first-years in amusement as their younger brother looked at him with pleading eyes.

"So _you_ —" George started.

"—want _us_ —" Fred continued.

"—to give _you_ —"

"—the Map?"

"Yes George, _please_ ," Ron begged.

Fred smirked at his twin. "What do you think, Fred?" he asked. "Do you think we should give these ickle first-years our Holy Grail?"

"I dunno, George," George said. "But I think our little Ronniekins might just wet himself from the anticipation."

"Hey!" Ron said in indignation, but Hermione shushed him instantly.

"Are you going to give it to us or not?" Hermione pressed.

There was an unspoken argue argument between the Weasley twins, before George relented. "Fine," he said reluctantly. "But I'm only going to give it to one of you — I don't want to risk the teachers finding out about this."

"Harry, take out your dex," Fred commanded.

Harry frowned. "Why me?" he said. After spending several months in the Gryffindor common room, he did not trust the twins one bit.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Come one, we're going to plant a virus," he said. That only made Harry more anxious, but a minute later his red pokédex was in George's hands. "Plus, we're giving it to you because you're the one it belongs to, actually."

That confused Harry even further. "What?"

George smirked. "You'll find out in a mo'."

There was a ping as George connected Fred's pokédex with Harry's via Bluetooth, and it took several long minutes as a massive file was transferred from the former to the latter. In fact, it took so long that Ron managed to play two chess matches against Neville, who was obliterated in record time.

"There." Fred tossed the dex at Harry, who managed to catch it at the last second. "Open it up and see for yourself."

Harry felt Ron, Hermione and Neville surround him within seconds, but he ignored them in favor of the app on his pokédex's home screen. The icon was a stylish 'M', with a parchment-colored background. The caption only read 'Map'.

Without a second to lose, Harry tapped the icon and blinked as the application opened up with a pop. The screen looked like plain crumpled parchment, until words began to appear letter by letter in a slow, calligraphic scrawl:

 _Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_

 _are proud to present_

 _ **The Marauder's Map**_

What appeared next was a typical map – Hogwarts' boundaries were clearly marked and visible – but the noticeable difference was the presence of a multitude of red dots. Moving, red pinpricks walking along Hogwarts corridors, and abbreviated names under them.

"What is this?" Hermione asked, awed.

"The Marauder's Map, Granger," George answered with a grin. "It's been our money maker ever since we discovered it on a confiscated dex in Filch's drawers. The passcode was so complex, we took three months to crack it in our first year."

"How else do you expect we managed to bring butterbeer and Honeydukes for the Quidditch party?" Fred said smugly.

"So what does it do?" Neville asked.

"Well, basically it pinpoints the location of any pokédex within a certain radius," George said. "If you want to know about a specific person, just tap on the points and it'll open up a sidebar that tells you every single detail about the dex-holder, like this!" As his brother said this, Fred tapped on one of the dots on the seventh floor corridor. Sure enough, a sidebar opened up, telling details about Eddie Carmichael, second-year, from Ravenclaw, who earned top grades in his first year of education at Hogwarts. His team of twelve pokémon – those in storage included – were also shown, along with many, _many_ other details.

"This is so cool," Harry muttered, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Oi!" Everyone looked at Ron, who seemed angry for some reason. "Why didn't you never give this to me? I had Bill's old dex since I was eight!"

"We didn't want to give it to anyone until now," Fred said, annoyed.

"But I'm your brother!"

"Exactly," George said. "Plus, you're really immature."

Ron scowled. "So Harry gets all the preferential treatment, eh?" he grumbled, throwing a dirty look at Harry, who felt hurt.

George frowned. "We gave it to him for a reason. Remember the pokédex we got it from? The owner was 'James "Prongs" Potter'. _Harry's dad_."

Saying that Harry was surprised was an understatement. The boy was stunned at the news of something else belonging to his father in his hands. "You— you found my father's pokédex?" he blurted, stunned. "D-Do you still have it?"

George gave him a little pity. "Sorry, Harry. We sold it online to get some pocket change. Of course, we deleted all the data so that no one else could use the Map."

Harry's heart dropped a bit.

"What do you four need it for, anyway?" Fred said nosily, in an attempt to change the subject.

Hermione spoke up before anyone else could. "Let's just say that we need it to make sure no one steals a certain something."

"You mean the Jewel of Life?" Fred said.

Everyone else (except for George, of course) was flabbergasted. "H-How?!" Hermione asked, at a loss for words for once.

"Oh, we found out about that ages ago," George said smugly. "It was pretty easy to wheedle that information out of Hagrid – he was furious when he realized that he let slip about it. Anyhoo…we've got to go. Time is money, ickle firsties!"

Hermione looked furious as she saw the twins walk out of the library. "I can't believe they didn't tell us about it – we could've saved countless hours of fruitless research!"

Ron snorted. "Face it, Hermione. You're just jealous that someone found out something before you did."

Hermione's face reddened. "I am not!" she said hotly.

"Anyway," Harry interjected, not wanting another argument to blow up, "we should keep looking out for Snape. You might never know when he might try to steal the Jewel."

"Can we please just forget about this?" Neville whined. "We should focus on our exams – they're just a few weeks away! Why can't we just tell Professor Dumbledore about this?"

"He won't believe us," Harry said, shaking his head. "Snape's his colleague. Plus, Dumbledore's very trusting. He'd rather eat a brick before distrusting someone."

"C'mon, Nev! Where's your Gryffindor courage?" Ron said, slapping him on the back and making the boy drop his text on the table. Neville scowled.

"Harry? Is tha' yeh?"

At first Harry seemed confused by the loud, gruff voice; it seemed out of place in the library, which was normally very quiet save for the hushed tones when students whispered to each other. Which was why the Gryffindor Four (as they were called by most) were surprised to find Hagrid, out of all, standing between shelves with a load of thick books under his arms.

"Hagrid?" Hermione said, bemused.

"Hullo there, Hermione," Hagrid greeting, beaming at them widely. He waddled over to their spot an dropped his books on the table, causing a loud thud and making Madam Pince throw a disgruntled look in his direction. "Studyin' hard, I s'pose? Exams are just a few weeks away. I hear Prefesser McGonagall's prepared a ruddy tough paper for the firs' years."

Hermione paled. "She has?" she exclaimed. It took only a few seconds for her to completely forget about Flamel, Snape and the Jewel of Life, and began fretting over the textbooks spread out in front of her.

"What are you doing here, Hagrid?" Ron asked.

"Jus' doin' some readin' fer fun," he said nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Ron said skeptically. Hagrid didn't strike them as a person who read book in his free time.

Hagrid smirked. "Alright, I'll tell yeh," he said, leaning forward. "But not 'ere." The man looked around for any eavesdroppers before whispering, "Meet me down at my Hut an' I'll tell yeh. I've got somethin' 'mazing to show yeh."

He winked at them, then grabbed his books before walking away with a strut in his walk.

"What does he have that's making him so secretive?" Neville said.

"I think he's gone and done something foolish," Harry mused.

"Or dangerous," Ron said. "I mean, this is Hagrid we're talking about. He probably spent all his money on a dragon egg or something."

XxXxX

 **Yes, I'm finally back. I'm sorry for taking a three month break – it's just that my exams got over a few weeks ago and I was feeling very lazy. Another reason was that a good friend of mine, whom I met online, died – penname Greasy Monkey, now QuestionableInactivity. He mainly wrote smut, leaving one story unfinished. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter – the next one will come up in a few days, to make up for the lack of updates these past few months.**

 **Just to make it clear – Ron knew that his brothers had some ultimate cheating machine, but he didn't know what it was, which was why he was stunned with all the things the Marauder's Map could do, but also went to his brothers asking for it. Another thing; the part where I've written this:**

"What do you think, Fred?" Fred said **…**

"I dunno, George," George said **…]**

 **Well, that was intentional – the twins are just trying to fool Harry and Co. I just had to mention this to prevent any reviews/PMs nitpicking this particular piece in the chapter.**

 **Thanks for voting for Neville's poll. The last two slots will be filled up with Fomantis and Skiddo. The next poll is to see which pokémon you think Draco Malfoy should get in this story. I have two spaces left, which can be occupied by:** _(Alolan) Meowth, Beldum, Purrloin, Venipede, Binacle, Eevee, Yungoos_ **. My polls are working now, so you can go visit my profile and choose the two pokémon best suited for Draco Malfoy in this story.**

 **Anyway, let's move onto review responses:**

 **Guest:** _I think the many pokémon from BW are very underrated. Plus, it had to be Deerling or Stantler. You can see why I went with the former :P_

 **Angel Faux:** _The Legendaries won't portrayed exactly like the ones in Traveler – it's going to be somewhat like a mix between the animé and Traveler. I've got my own theory of why the pokégods are not true gods and why there are more than one of each._

 **Angel Winx (for chapter 10):** _Yes, Snape is a bastard. The only defense I can say is that he's kinda like (Captain) Deadpool – he's the antihero, and cares only for his own agenda i.e avenging Lily's death. I don't think he cares about anything else anymore. Snape will get his comeuppance whether he likes it or not, though._

 **Ruby Pen (for chapter 10):** _Thank you! I made up the Glade by mixing Capture the Flag and Mr Chaos' Gauntlet. I was afraid some people were going to call me out for it, but I'm glad you liked it!_

 _About Animagi, I will be using it, but in my own way. You'll see in book 2/3._

 **I think this wraps it up for this chapter. As always, leave a review, and follow/favorite this story if you liked it! Thanks, and I'll see you next time.**


	13. Into The Forest

_Chapter Twelve: Into The Forest_

For the next several days, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville spent most of their time snooping around and keeping an eye on Severus Snape, either with their own eyes or by the Marauder's Map. They weren't sure whether Snape carried his pokédex everywhere, so they made sure to send Hermione to keep a check on Snape on the pretext of asking questions. Needless to say, Snape had gotten a lot sourer towards her, and belittled her for every single action she made.

Hagrid was, for some unknown reason, not seen for many days. Fortunately, Harry was sent a letter on one Friday, asking him to come down to his hut and bring his friends along with him.

"I wonder what he's got to show us," Ron said, stuffing his mouth with bacon.

"He seemed excited enough about it," Harry said. He shook his head. "I hope he hasn't done something that'll get him into trouble." Next to him, Hedwig hooted as if agreeing with him, while Prongs the Deerling paid far more attention to the pokémon food in front of him.

Later that evening, when Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville arrived at Hagrid's hut, they were ushered in with huge anticipation.

"Yeh came righ' on time," Hagrid said quickly with a huge grin on his face, rubbing his hands in excitement.

As soon as they walked in, Harry was met with a huge blast of hot air. "Hagrid," he said, taking off his coat, "why is it so hot in here?" It was as if he was trying to cook them alive.

"I'll tell you in a mo'." Hagrid walked to the back of his cabin and brought out a teapot and a few cups. "Anyone fancy a spot of tea?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Neville stuttered.

Hermione fanned herself in an attempt to cool down. "So, Hagrid, what was the reason you wanted to get us here?"

Hagrid beamed. "Yeh'll love this. C'mere, take a look!" he exclaimed in exhilaration, pointing towards the fire.

"What's th— _Hagrid_!" Hermione gasped. Intrigued, the others crowded over, and too gasped at what they saw being roasted in the fire.

"Is that…a _pokémon egg_?!" Ron said, stunned. Neville was at a loss for words.

"Not jus' any egg, mind yeh – it's a _dragon_ egg."

"Are you joking?!" Ron said. "Hagrid, that must've cost you a fortune. A dragon-type pokémon is hard to come by – dragon eggs are even rarer."

"Yeah, I can't believe me luck meself! I was jus' down in the village at the pub, havin' a few firewhiskeys, when I met this bloke who told me that if I beat him in a game of cards, I could have the egg. Said he didn't have the time ter take car of baby pokémon."

That sounded a bit suspicious to Harry. Why would anyone give away a dragon egg to a random stranger instead of selling it in the market for a high price? At the same time, he couldn't think of what anyone would have to gain by giving one away.

At any rate, Hagrid had to be incredibly lucky to get a pokémon egg, especially a dragon's. "Do you know what pokémon it is, Hagrid?"

Hagrid shook his head. "Nah, not knowin' is half the fun. It's goin' ter hatch any minute now, so we'll get to know what breed it is!" he said. "I'm hopin' fer a Bagon, but I'll be happy jus' to own a dragon!"

They crowded around the fire, excited to see the hatching of a baby pokémon. "Any second now…" The waited with baited breath, watching as the egg wriggled and shook as the pokémon inside tried to come out. There was a small _bump_ , and cracks began to spread from the crown of the egg. There were several more bumps against the inside of the egg as whatever inside tried to smash it open, until finally the upper half popped open, and white light escaped.

It was a small creature, with huge, yellow eyes and a rough, scaly blue skin. A huge fin sprouted out of the back of its head, and it looked as if it had no discernible neck. Rows of sharp teeth lined its mouth as it yawned and took its first breath, its red underside covered in glistening amniotic fluid. It was only when Hagrid scooped out the baby shark that Harry and his friends saw the small tail wiggling behind.

"He's beautiful, innit?" Hagrid cooed, wiping the slime off the baby dragon's body. Being the curious person that he was, Harry pulled out his pokédex and scanned the pokémon in front of him.

 _Gible, the land shark pokémon. It reacts to anything that moves; flies right at it and bites it. Sometimes it injures itself, but it doesn't care too much._

"Gible are awesome!" Ron exclaimed, jumping up and down. "I can't wait for him to evolve into a Garchomp."

"H-Have you thought of a name for him yet, H-Hagrid?" Neville asked timidly, twiddling his thumbs.

"Yeah, I— OWWWW!" Hagrid bellowed, pulling his hand back. The baby Gible had suddenly and without warning clamped down on his hand. Thankfully it had only small teeth, so Gible had only managed to draw blood.

"Hagrid, do you need help?" Neville asked in concern.

"Yeah, jus' get me a couple o' Band-Aids from the top drawer, will yeh?" Hagrid said, wincing. Nevertheless, he smiled down upon the Gible, who was licking herself clean. "Heya, Gible. I didn't mean ter scare yeh. My name is Hagrid. I'm your friend."

The Gible cocked her head, her big doe-shaped eyes melting everyone's hearts.

"Tell yeh what, how about I give yeh a name?" Hagrid said. Gible laughed, but it was more of a whiny grunt. "How about…Norberta. Tha's a good name. Whaddya think?" Gible seemed to consider it for a second before smiling and leaping into Hagrid's arms, where she snuggled against his large overcoat.

"Alright! Norberta it is." Hagrid chuckled.

They spent a few hours mingling with the newly dubbed Norberta. It seemed that baby pokémon needed a lot of care and comfort, and needed to be constantly watched – which was why while Hagrid had gone to the back of his cabin to prepare a bath for Norberta, it had been up to the four Gryffindors to keep an eye on her and make sure the Gible didn't wander out of the cabin. Ron had tried to keep her in one place by holding her with his hands, but he gave up on that idea after frowning at the rashes on his arms due to Norberta's rough skin.

"Thank yeh," Hagrid told them once Norberta had gone back to sleep, the Gible curled up as she covered herself in several blankets. "If it weren't fer yeh lot—"

He was suddenly interrupted by a rap on the windows. Everyone turned around to see someone – a student – peering through the window in an unceremonious manner. They barely had time to recognize the person as he turned away and ran, but managed to get a fleeting glimpse of unmistakable dirty blond hair.

"Malfoy," Harry said. He looked at the clock, and paled as he saw that it was already half past eleven – they'd spent more than needed at Hagrid's cabin. "We're late!"

"Yeh need ter go," Hagrid urged quickly. "Malfoy might report yeh ter one of the prefessers for breakin' curfew."

"We're going to be expelled," Hermione moaned, following Harry and Ron out of the cabin. Neville was shuddering in fear at her words.

"Shut up, you're scaring Neville," Ron snapped. Cyndaquil was keeping him warm in his arms. "At the most, Snape'll dock some points. I don't fancy seeing him in the middle of the night," he grumbled. Then his face lit up, all of a sudden, and he turned to Harry, exclaiming, "Harry, we can use Prongs! Let him— oomph!"

Any words that would've come out of his mouth died there as he bumped into the school caretaker, Argus Filch. Next to him, his scruffy Purrloin Mrs Norris hissed menacingly as she gracefully leapt up onto Filch's shoulders. With the flashlight in his gnarly hands, the Gryffindors gulped the second they saw the light eerily bounce of his sadistic smile, giving him a frightening look.

"Well, well, well," Filch muttered, still grinning, "what do we have here?"

XxXxX

"Students out of bed!" Professor McGonagall said, smacking her work table with a roll of newspaper. "What were you thinking?"

Neville, Harry, Hermione and Ron looked down ashamedly. Next to them, Draco smirked in satisfaction at humiliating the four Gryffindors, while Filch looked expectantly at McGonagall to bring out some punishment.

"I can't believe this," McGonagall muttered. "Fifty points will be taken for each of you."

" _Fifty_?!" Ron exclaimed.

"That will tell you not to break curfew ever again," McGonagall said. "And the five of you will spend a weeks detentions with Hagrid."

Draco's smirk wavered. "I'm sorry, Professor," he said smoothly, "but for a moment I thought I heard you say the five—"

"You heard correct, Mr Malfoy," McGonagall said. "You too have broken curfew. As a result, you have cost yourself a deduction of fifty points and a week's worth of detention with our groundskeeper."

"That's bullshit," Draco snarled. "When my father hears about this—"

"Another fifty points for misconduct and threatening a teacher," McGonagall cut in. "Do you have anything else to add?" Thankfully, Malfoy kept his mouth shut.

"Ma'am, if I may," Filch said suddenly, "these students deserve a good lashing, that'll ought to teach them not to—"

"That's enough, Argus." McGonagall said. "You may go."

Filch left, muttering and scowling. Mrs Norris hissed at Ron before scurrying behind her master.

"Return to your dormitories at once. Do not let me see you out of bed again," she warned.

"I won't," Draco said, then added quietly, "let you see…" Unfortunately, McGonagall picked up on that and docked thirty points for backtalk, leaving Draco in a fit as he walked back to the Slytherin common room.

XxXxX

The next week was torture to Harry. As soon as Gryffindor had learnt of their recent misadventures, his life had turned upside down.

He'd gone from being the Quidditch hero to the Gryffindor pariah. Gryffindors gave him the cold shoulder, some even going as far as to taunt the him and push him around. Hermione, Ron and Neville were also treated the same way, but at a lesser extent, because they weren't as well-known as Harry.

He only found solace during his detentions with Hagrid, during which he could be himself and enjoy with his giant friend. Draco was (fortunately) given the dirtier work, allowing Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville to talk to Hagrid and spend time with Norberta.

In any case, Harry didn't pay much attention to the rest if the castle. Exams were nearly upon them, and Harry and his friends spent almost every living moment revising and ignoring the taunts and glares that were directed their way for losing Gryffindor two hundred points. Neville was still perturbed, but the presence of Turtwig would calm him down within seconds.

On Sunday night, Harry trudged down the grand staircase with Ron, Hermione and Neville by his side. It was the last day of detention with Hagrid for their little escapade at night. _At least I'll have more time to study now_ , Harry mused. _Although I'd rather spend time with Hagrid than bear the looks the other Gryffs give me, detention or not…_

Next to him, Neville quivered. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that he was scared of the dark – after all, Neville was scared of almost everything.

"What do you think Hagrid's got for us?" Ron asked in an attempt to dissolve the silence.

"I just hope it's nothing d-dangerous," Neville said, looking down.

"Of course it won't be," Hermione reassured. "Hagrid wouldn't take us to the Forbidden Forest or something. Professor McGonagall would be furious!"

How wrong she was.

They arrived at the foot of the staircase in another fifteen minutes, then walked across the corridors to reach the gate of the castle. Standing at the gate was none other than Filch, their escort to Hagrid's cabin, and Draco, who was his surly and haughty self.

"You're late," Draco said shortly. Ron scowled.

"Yeah, we weren't looking forward to see your stupid face, Malfoy," Ron muttered back.

"Come on, you," Filch growled in a gruff voice. Mrs Norris meowed as she followed her trainer to Hagrid's cabin.

The quietness of the ground added to the eeriness. Next to them, Neville yelped at the sound of twigs snapping under his feet. The only thing stopping Draco from laughing openly was the fact that he was outnumbered four to one. Harry wondered what their last detention was going to be. It had to be something horrible, or else Filch and his Purrloin wouldn't have been in such a gleeful mood.

Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's cabin. As they came closer, they could hear the front door opening, then slammed shut. A large flashlight flickered in the distance and a series of excited barks sounded, presumably Fang's.

"Is that yeh, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

Hagrid came striding out of the darkness, Fang the Houndoom at his heels. He was carrying a large crossbow for some reason, a quiver of arrows hanging over his shoulders. Five of them had pokéballs for tips.

"I bin waitin' fer half an hour already," Hagrid complained. "All right, Harry?"

"I wouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," Filch said coldly. "They're here to be punished, after all."

Hagrid frowned at the grisly old man. "Tha's none o' yer business, Filch. Yer job was ter bring them ter me, plain and simple. Yeh've done yer bit; I'll take it from here."

Filch scowled. Harry was pleased to see the caretaker being brought down a peg or two. He sniffed haughtily and called for Mrs Norris and started back to the castle, but not before saying, "Have fun in the Forest!"

As soon as he was out of sight Draco whipped around and looked at Hagrid demandingly. "What did he mean, 'have fun in the Forest'?" Draco said, a slight note of worry in his voice.

"Yeh'll be goin' inter the Forbidden Forest with me, 'course," Hagrid said, and Neville moaned a little. "Din' Prefesser McGonagall, or Filch, tell yeh lot?"

"She bloody well did not!" Ron exclaimed, looking as scared as the others.

"I'm not going into that forest," Draco said firmly, although Harry was pleased to hear his voice quiver in panic and fright.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid grunted.

"B-But it's dangerous out there, Hagrid!" Hermione exclaimed. "You've told us about the Vespiqueen – what about the Nidorina and Nidorino I've heard about!"

Hagrid dismissed her concerns with a wave of his massive hand. "Ah, they won't hurt yeh one bit. Besides, Fang and the rest of me pokémon will be there tomorrow protect yeh, aren't I right?" Fang yipped eagerly in response.

Draco harrumphed. "My father _will_ hear about this," he threatened.

Hagrid scoffed. "Yeh tell him, Malfoy. Like I care." Malfoy scowled.

"Now, listen carefully, 'cause what we're about ter do is dangerous an' I don' wanna be takin' any risks here," Hagrid told them as he led them to the edge of the forest. "Firs' of all, let out yeh pokémon."

Everybody nodded. There were flashes of light as the five first-years released their pokémon out in the darkness. Hedwig immediately took to the skies before the Rowlet landed firmly on Harry's shoulder. Her pupils seemed to dilate significantly until her irises almost became nothing.

"Hey, girl," Harry greeted, brushing her soft feathers with his knuckles. Next to him, Harry saw Neville cradle Turtwig protectively, as if someone was about to hurt the two of them. Inkay nuzzled against Hermione's cheeks and Ron's Cyndaquil was perched on his shoulder (apparently, Ron seemed to assume that Scabbers would be of no help). A few feet away from them, Draco's exotic Ekans coiled up around his neck loosely and rested there, although it kept one yellow eye open and glaring.

Hagrid himself released another pokémon of his own. He took out one of the pokéball arrows and plucked the capture device off – it seemed like there was a Magnet attached to the head of the arrow that kept the pokéball firmly stuck to the arrow. With a wide grin, Hagrid tossed the pokéball in the air and out came a rather large Ariados who Harry recognized as Aragog.

Aragog quickly scuttled up Hagrid back and wrapped its spindly legs around his torso. Hagrid didn't seem to care as the Ariados acted like a backpack. Frankly, Harry was creeped out by the sight, but said nothing. Instead, he and the rest followed Hagrid down an anfractuous path until they halted at a puddle of purplish-red liquid.

"Alright now, listen up," Hagrid said. "We've got somethin' of a situation here in the forest. Fer the past couple o' weeks I've bin getting reports of Ivysaur and Bulbasaur bein' attacked. Yeh see this reddish stuff? Tha's Ivysaur blood – no, don't touch that!" he added quickly, forcing Draco to pull his hand back. "Don' touch the stuff without gloves on – Ivysaur blood's slightly poisonous, an' I don' want anyone dyin' in here."

Hagrid sighed. "Anyway, tha's the third time this week tha' a Ivysaur's bin attacked here. I found one dead last week – it's bud was cut off an' it had several lacerations across its body. They're pretty rare in the forest, so wee need ter search the place thoroughly. We might have ter put it out of its misery if it's bud's missing," Hagrid said sadly.

"This is madness," Ron said, shaking his head. Cyndaquil chirped in agreement.

"Why did it have its bud sliced off, Hagrid?" Hermione asked meekly.

Hagrid scowled. "I dunno. But whatever did this is goin' ta pay. The Forest is a peaceful place, and I don' want anythin' disrupting the harmony here."

"What if the thing that's hurting the Ivysaur catches up to us first?" Draco stuttered fearfully.

"Trust me, nothin' will hurt yeh as long as my pokémon and I are here," Hagrid reassured. "Anyway, we've got ter split up. And don' stray from the path. I don' want none of yeh ter get lost in the Forest, especially so late at night."

"I get to get with one of your pokémon," Draco said quickly. Hagrid snorted.

"Whatever, Malfoy," he muttered. "So, Hermione, Ron an' I'll go together, an' Malfoy, Neville, Harry an' Fang will go another way. Now, if anybody finds the Ivysaur, send me a signal from yer pokédex an' I'll come ta get yeh. Neville, I assume yer gran must've taught yeh how to care for grass-type pokémon and basic first-aid?" Neville nodded as he accepted a first aid kit from Hagrid. "Good. Do that if it's hurt too bad, or try to capture it. Yer pokéballs will keep it in stasis—"

"Alright, alright, we get it," Draco said impatiently. Hagrid scowled.

"Very well – let's go."

The Forest was dark and quiet as they walked, save for the sounds of Hoothoot chirping and clicking their beaks from above. Turtwig had wrapped a vine around Neville's wrist, as if a dog leading its blind master along a walk. Draco was almost nuzzling Fang, so close he was to the Houndoom. If it wasn't for the presence of Fang, whose long canines and ivory horns gleamed in the bright moonlight, Harry and the rest would've easily pissed themselves.

At one point in time, a quartet of Beedrill stumbled upon them as they buzzed through the cool air. Neville had screamed in fear, while Draco and Harry were doing their best not to stare at the long, pointy stingers for arms. The territorial bugs had exchanged a single look before advancing menacingly onto their prey.

Unfortunately, things ended rather badly for the Beedrill. Fang ended one with a Flamethrower before Harry could even blink, before leaping into the air and sinking his large teeth into the other. While the Houndoom wrestled with the Beedrill on the ground, its two other comrades who were still conscious buzzed towards Harry, Draco and Neville, and their pokémon quickly rose to action. Hedwig quickly created illusory copies of herself and the two Beedrill were soon surrounded by a dozen Rowlet. Neville's Turtwig, taking advantage of their momentary surprise, unleashed his two vines and wrapped them around the Beedrill, snapping their arms to the side. With the bugs restrained, Ekans and the real Hedwig quickly took care of the menacing bees.

"Good work, Ekans," Draco said, petting the purple snake. "I shall tell my father how you protected me from those stupid bugs."

Harry rolled his eyes. He didn't even bother correcting Draco and telling him that it was, in fact, Fang who did all the work.

"Fang, I think that's enough," Harry said, his face scrunched up in disgust as he tried not to look at the twisted and mangled form of the Beedrill Fang was stomping on. Thankfully, the Houndoom immediately let up and they continued down the winding path of the Forbidden Forest.

"I guess the Forbidden Forest isn't so b-bad, after all," Neville muttered.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you haven't pissed your pants yet, Squib," Draco said nastily.

Harry scowled. He didn't know what squib meant, but since it came from Draco's mouth it sure wasn't anything good. "What's your problem, Malfoy? Are you that much of a little shit that you have to belittle others to make yourself feel good?" he snarled.

Draco bristled – Harry's words seemed to have struck a nerve. "Shut up, Potter, no one asked for your opinion," he hissed. "Besides, Longbottom _is_ a Squib. Ain't that right, Squibby?" he added, smirking in Neville's direction. Turtwig glared.

Harry looked ready to pop a blood vessel, but, before he could throw a punch at Draco, there was a yip from Fang. Harry whipped around and looked at the Houndoom quizzically. "What's wrong, Fang?" Harry asked.

Much to everyone's shock, Fang ran off.

"H-Hey!" Harry said, breaking off into a run. Behind him, Draco and Neville began to follow, too scared to be alone in the secluded spot. Neville's whimpers and cries of fear reaffirmed that notion as they continued to keep up with Fang, who was almost out of view.

By the time Harry and the rest caught up to Fang, they were all out of breath. It took a moment or two for his breathing to return to normal, and his harsh, quick breaths turned into soft, easy ones at he leaned on a great oak tree at the edge of a clearing. He felt a weight on his shoulder and he whipped around, frightened, only to be relieved by the sight of Hedwig digging her talons through the cloth of his jacket. A second later, Neville stumbled into him and grabbed onto his arms to stabilise himself, while Draco was standing a foot away and…why was his face so unnaturally pale?

Harry's eyes turned from Draco's face to where the boy's eyes were staring at. Bile rose up his throat as he stared at the sickening sight playing out in front of him.

Laying on the clearing, their bodies mangled, were two innocent Ivysaur, their eyes glassy in death. Pale blood gushed out of their wounds, staining the grass of the clearing. Their forest scales would've been beautiful under the moonlight if it wasn't for the blood tainting their skin. The green fronds of the Ivysaur were shredded and torn, while the half-blooming buds on the backs had been shredded angrily.

But what truly caught Harry's attention was not the dead forms of the Ivysaur. Hiding behind the corpses, like a coward, was a crouching figure hooded in black. Its arms cradled an Ivysaur bud, half-torn. But the petals around it had been ripped off the base, cast on the ground, and the only thing that was unharmed was the core of the bud, a single glowing pod the size of an ostrich egg.

Neville whimpered. The hooded figure's head snapped up, hearing the small noise. As it slowly rose to its full height, Harry felt his heart thud against his sternum, as if trying to break free.

"AAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!"

Draco let out a terrible scream and bolted, only for his foot to trip over a tree root and crash face-first into the hard bark of a wood. The was a crack as his nose broke, blood spurting out of his nostrils, but Harry didn't pay attention to him. His eyes were locked onto the hooded figure, who suddenly levitated in the air, black miasma swirling around it in streams as it cradled the glowing Ivysaur pod protectively.

Behind Harry, Neville moaned. Harry grimaced as he felt Neville's fingers dig harshly into his arms.

"N-Neville, send out Trevor," Harry stuttered as he reached for Prongs' pokéball. As grim as the situation was, Harry needed all of his allies if he wanted a chance to make it out alive.

Unfortunately, Neville was rooted to the spot, frozen in fear. Harry cursed. "Prongs, go!"

There was a flash of light as the Deerling burst out of the pokéball. The sight of Prongs snapped Neville out of his reverie, and his shaking hands reached for the second pokéball on his belt.

Prongs nickered in anger, and the hooded figure hissed in response. At that exact moment, Neville released Trevor, the Palpitoad croaking as it registered its surroundings. A split-second later, there was a hiss as Draco's Ekans moved forward to protect its master.

"Hedwig, Leafage! Prongs, use Leech Seed!" Harry cried out. A round of sharp leaves escaped Hedwig's wings, while Prongs opened his mouth to spit a battery of brown, parasitic seeds.

Neville tightened his fists. "Turtwig, Vine Whip, and Trevor, use Water Pulse!"

Two thick vines flicked out from Turtwig's earthen shell while Trevor prepared a pulsating orb of water in front of his slightly opened mouth. A second later there was a small burst of energy as the Water Pulse was blasted at the menacing figure hovering in the air. Fang too snarled and opened his jaws before spitting a gout of flames.

The hooded figure hissed. Two arms of black, ghostly energy sprouted from the sides of its head, then prepared an immense blob of shadowy energy before launching it forward. The Shadow Ball collided with the Water Pulse and Flame Burst, resulting in a shockwave of energy and an explosion. Harry shielded himself with his arms, but the only thing that rained down upon him was water from Trevor's recent attack and a little heat from Fang's Flame Burst.

Harry shivered as he was drenched by the cold water. He looked up, gasping as he saw the figure prepare another Shadow Ball with its ghostly arms. Harry ducked to the ground, and shouted desperately, "Use Astonish, Hedwig!"

The Rowlet hooted before flying high; she smacked her wings, producing a pulse of shadowy energy that raced towards the levitating creature. It was struck by the ghost attack, and the half-prepared Shadow Ball diffused and vanished, while the ghostly arms shrunk back into the side of its head and it fell to the ground on all fours. It groaned, then yelled angrily as the Ivysaur pod rolled out of the folds of its clothes.

It had been levitating at a great height, so Harry wasn't surprised that it had been incapacitated upon landing on the ground. However, the mysterious creature recovered quickly from its fall and grabbed at the glowing orb like its life depended on it. The hooded figure rose from the ground, doubled over, and snarled angrily at Harry and made to move at him, but it was interrupted by the shuffling of leaves and a familiar voice.

HARRY! Ha— what's that?" Hagrid said as he made himself known. Next to him, Hermione and Ron gasped as they joined the groundskeeper. Apparently Draco had sent the signal for help, what with his pokédex clutched in his blood-stained hands.

The hooded creature, knowing that it was outnumbered, took a step back. "Stay right there!" Hagrid commanded.

"Hedwig, use Leafage!" Harry cried out as the hooded figure broke into a run.

Harry felt his heart sink as the being took a gigantic leap and disappeared from the clearing; but a split-second before it made its escape, Harry was proud to see a single bladed leaf sink into its right arm. A gasp of pain sounded, but the agony was not enough to stop the creature in its tracks, and it vanished.

Hagrid yelled and ran off to search for the attacker, while Hermione slammed into Harry and enveloped him in a hug that lasted a few seconds. "Harry!" she cried. "Are you alright?!"

"What the hell was that, mate?" Ron asked, his voice laced with worry.

"I don't know," Harry replied, his heart racing. "But whatever it was, it was dangerous. It k-killed two Ivysaur."

"Can someone help me?!" Draco interrupted impatiently. "I've broken a nose!"

"Wait a second," Hermione said, sighing.

"You're _actually helping_ him?!" Ron exclaimed, shocked. Hermione scowled.

"Friend or not, he needs help," Hermione said before heading off in Draco's direction. Ron scoffed.

"I'll go help her," Ron told Harry with a roll of his eyes. Harry nodded.

He looked at his pokémon. They looked relatively unharmed, but from the look in their eyes he knew they were just as afraid as he had been. He petted Hedwig soothingly and ran his fingers through Prongs' fur. "That was crazy, wasn't it?" he asked rhetorically. Hedwig chirped in agreement, and Prongs head-butted lightly in the stomach.

A cry for help caught his attention. Frowning, Harry turned and noticed Neville crouching low next to the couple of deceased Ivysaur. Feeling a pang of pain, Harry recalled his pokémon before running off to kneel beside Neville.

"No, no, no, no, _no_ ," Neville was muttering as he checked for a pulse. His shaking hands were all over the place, soaked in Ivysaur blood while Turtwig and Trevor looked on with looks of pity.

"Neville!" Harry exclaimed as his friend tried to stop the bleeding. "Your hands – you'll get poisoned!"

"I d-don't c-c-care!" Neville cried, placing pressure on the wound, as if believing it would save the Ivysaur. "Madam Pomfrey can fix them, but the Ivysaur need immediate attention, and—"

"Neville, they're _dead_ ," Harry said softly. Neville ignored him and ransacked his first aid kid for potions. There was a hiss as he sprayed the wounds of the two Ivysaur with a max potion. Slowly, but steadily, the wounds began to sew themselves up, but barely.

There was shrieked from the other end – presumably Hermione had set Draco's nose in place, but Harry ignored that.

"I-I can f-f-feel a p-pulse," Neville stuttered, shocked as he stared at the Ivysaur with the barely intact bud. "I need to save it – quick, g-give me a pokéball!"

"Er, wait a sec…"

A few seconds later a shiny new pokéball appeared in Harry's hand, which was handed over to Neville. The boy forcefully tapped the pokéball against the Ivysaur – there was a second of wait, as if the pokéball was deciding whether the pokémon was alive or dead, before it was sucked into the ball as a beam of red energy. There wasn't even a single twitch before the capture device clicked.

Neville gasped and slackened. "We…did it," he said.

Harry smiled. Then he noticed Neville's hands, which were slowly turning blue as the toxins in the Ivysaur blood permeated through his skin, and he frowned. "Neville, your hands…"

Neville frowned. "I…I think we…need to go to Madam Pomfrey," he wheezed, before dropping dead.

XxXxX

 **I am so, SO sorry for not updating sooner! I know I promised with the quick updates, but my days passed by so quickly that I didn't even realize, what with meeting up with friends I hadn't seen in so long, trying not to worry about results, yadda, yadda, yadda…**

 **In any case, here is the twelfth chapter for this story. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I swear that the next one will be up much sooner. I promise.**

 **The previous poll results are out:** _Yungoos_ **and** _Alolan Meowth_ **led the poll with votes of five each. Thank you for taking the time to vote!**

 **There will also be a poll put up concerning the saved Ivysaur.** _Should it remain with Neville,_ **or** _should it released back into the wild_ **? Let me know your thoughts, either in a PM, review, or in the poll itself.**

 **Review responses:**

 **AngelFaux : Nice to see you update,and Hermione's scepticism is actually in character I'm looking forward to her seeing a mythical pokemon. And I just hope Dumbledore doesn't try to destroy the Jewel because if the movie was anything to go by Arceus would not like that**

 _-Thank you! I think Ron would be quite please to see Hermione meet a mythical pokémon and have her beliefs shattered; as much as I adore Hermione, I have to say that her refusal to believe in myths, legends, etcetera are annoying. As far as the Jewel of Life, isn't it unbreakable? If not, Dumbledore will give it another fate. No one wants to anger Arceus now, do we?_

 **Guest (Chapter 12) : Nice chapter! You know I always felt sorry for Ron and Percy they seem to be the most picked on by Fred and George. Ron also gets passed over by his parents or that's what it seems like anyway I mean come on how hard is it to remember that he doesn't like maroon! One of the reasons why he gets jealous easily is because he has no confidence or self esteem and I don't blame him after all he constantly gets passed over by his other siblings either because they are doing something important or in Fred and George's case causing trouble or in Ginny's case just being the only girl thier parents have and he even has to compete with Harry for thier attention. I know it's not Harry's fault and Ron knows it too but it's really gotta sting when your best friend seemingly gets more attention from his parents then he does. Sorry went on a little rant there. Anyway I vote for Alolan Meowth and Venipede. You know I wonder if Lily left her old Pokedex somewhere? Harry gets a lot of things from James but he never really got anything from his mother.**

 _-Don't worry, Ron will have his moment to shine sooner or later in the story. Rest assured it's going to be something grandiose that everyone will remember! Harry will also get something of Lily's in this series. I find her to be overshadowed by James, so I will give her the attention she deserves._

 **I think this wraps up the chapter. If you're new here, don't forget to add this to your favourites or follow list if you enjoyed it! Leave a review if you'd like to tell me your thoughts on this chapter. And, as always, have a good one!**


	14. Through the Trapdoor

_Chapter Thirteen: Through The Trapdoor_

It was a tired and nervous Harry that woke up the very next day. While the debacle in the Forest was still raw in his head, there was no thought more worrying than getting through his exams as of now.

It was swelteringly hot in the classrooms where they wrote their papers, and the thick blankets of snow that had engulfed the castle had slowly receded into clumps of wet ice still wedged between corners where April's heat and light couldn't reach. Harry wondered why the school couldn't install air conditioners already – the region of Omnis had harsh summers.

The practical exams were much better than the written ones – Flitwick called them one by one into his class and asked them to perform a class one contest combination, which Harry thought he did fairly well in (Flitwick had smiled at him after his Mist and Agility combo that Hedwig and Prongs had performed). McGonagall presented them with a live pokémon and asked them to explain said pokémon's biology. Potions was the worst – it was a pain in the neck to create an Antidote, what with Snape's Crobat literally breathing down Harry's neck all through the exam.

Harry did the best he could, pondering over the numerous questions printed out in front of him. He scowled as he handed in his History paper. Neville was lucky he didn't have to write the exams – he was still in the hospital wing, recovering from the poison in his system.

"Agility, and Tackle!" Harry cried, smiling as Prongs the Deerling slipped into the speed-enhancing move. Their Defence practical – which was their last exam – required them to cross a series of obstacles before battling a "wild" pokémon, which were actually some of the newbie pokémon Quirrel was currently training, all in ten minutes or less. Harry watched gleefully as Prongs zipped towards the dummy targets and slammed into them, crushing them with his body. As quickly as expected, the ten targets were felled by Prongs' strong body, and soon came the final part of their Defence practical.

"V-v-very impressive, Mr P-P-Potter," Quirrel muttered. "You s-still have s-s-six minutes left. Let's see if you c-ca-can finish the task, however!"

With a flourish of his hands the battle instructor tossed a shiny new pokéball into the air and released a Doduo. "D-Doduo, battle!"

"Agility!" Harry said. Leaving only a trail of energy as his presence, Prongs blurred away to avoid the Doduo's twin beaks that had sharpened into spikes before being jabbed at where the pokémon had previously been rooted.

Harry quickly owned the battle, despite Doduo having a significant advantage over its opponents. With a Leech Seed to drain its energy and a Sand Attack to blind it, Prongs swiftly brutalised Doduo and beat it to a pulp. An anxious Quirrel winced as Prongs delivered a powerful Double Kick straight to the backs of Doduo's heads and knocked it to the ground.

"R-Return," Quirrel stuttered. Then the professor's face broke into a nervous smile. "W-Well done, M-Mr Potter! Congratulations. Y-You're only the s-second student to f-f-fi-finish the practical exam!"

Harry choked in shock. "Really?!" So many first-years hadn't manage to complete their practical?

Quirrel nodded. "Ms G-G-Granger was the only other student to do so. Nothing on you however, Mr P-Potter — only six seconds to spare, compared to your three minutes."

Harry left the Battle classroom in high spirits – no doubt he would be getting the highest marks in Battle that year.

It was with a freeing sensation that Harry met up with Hermione and Ron later in the afternoon. Ron looked ecstatic, while Hermione on the other hand looked sullen and worried as they made their way to the hospital wing to check up on Neville.

"I'm going to fail," Hermione moaned.

"There she goes again," Ron said, rolling his eyes. He pushed open the doors of the hospital wing and snorted at Hermione as she glared at him.

"And what are you three doing here?" Madam Pomfrey said, her voice stern.

Harry, however, was no longer affected by her falsely angry demeanour. "We're here to meet Neville," he said impatiently. "Is he awake?"

Her expressions softened. "He just woke up in time for his daily dose. Follow me," she said, already on her heels.

The trio followed her in a brisk walk, passing several other bedridden patients, human and pokémon alike. Harry noticed Oliver Wood, Captain of the Gryffindor sports team, and waved at the burly fifth-year. His forehead was wrapped in layers of bandages, probably from playing with his Bastiodon a bit too roughly.

Neville's round face broke into a smile as he watched his friends close in. "Hey, Harry," he said. "Thanks for stopping by."

Harry waved his hand in dismissal. "How are you Neville?"

"Better. Madam Pomfrey says I'll be left before dinner," Neville replied. He opened his mouth and allowed Pomfrey's Chansey to pour a few millimetres of an antidote. He grimaced at the bitter aftertaste the medicine left on his tongue. "Eh, not so much now." Ron snorted.

"So, how were your exams?" Neville questioned.

As Hermione launched into a full-blown tirade of her own experience, Harry looked out of the hospital wing's window. However serene the school grounds were, and however calming the lake was, it could not squash the anxiety Harry was feeling as he thought about the Jewel of Life. Perhaps it was because of his history with the man, but it seemed that it was only Harry who understood the threat Voldemort truly posed, and how much of a danger he was to the Jewel's security. He couldn't help but remember how less interested Ron and Hermione were whenever be brought up the subject. They seemed to think that, as long as Dumbledore lived, Voldemort would not dare do anything to risk action from the headmaster's end.

A flutter of wings grabbed his attention – a Pidgeotto had just flown by, carrying a parcel and a letter around its leg. Hagrid had been the first one to send him anything, Harry mused, lost in thought. _Hagrid's pretty close to Dumbledore. I bet he must've told him how to get past Rocky. Well, Hagrid would tell anyone anything under the right conditions…_

Harry's eyes widened. Nononononono—

"Ron, Hermione, we've got to meet Hagrid _now_ ," Harry muttered, his heart racing.

Ron looked at him quizzically. "Huh? Why—"

"Just come _on_!"

He said a hurried goodbye to Neville and ran out of the hospital wing, horrific thoughts running through his mind. Ron and Hermione followed suite, taking huge leaps and skipping steps as the hurried down the grand staircase.

By the time they reached Hagrid's cabin they were winded, and they looked a mess – Hermione's hair was like a wild bush and Harry's was messier, a feat that had seemed impossible until today.

Harry rapped his knuckles against the hard wood of the cabin door. "Hagrid, open the door, we need to talk to you—"

"Harry?" a gruff voice sounded. "Hermione, Ron? What're yeh doin' here?"

Hagrid walked from behind the cabin, holding an axe in his hand, resting on his shoulders. He smiled. "Finished yer exams? Here, have some rock cakes—"

Ron beamed. "Yes, please—"

"Sorry Hagrid, but we're in a hurry," Harry cut in, glaring at Ron, who cowered and stepped back. "Hagrid, I need to ask you something. Do you know who gave you Norberta's egg? What they looked like?"

Hagrid chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, he had his hood up. Never saw an inch of his face. It isn't unusual, most people in the Head like ta keep ter themselves, it's jus' how it is round there."

Harry chewed his lip nervously. "Do you know why he gave you a dragon egg? Those are really rare."

Hagrid bit into his rock cake and ground the piece in his mouth into fine crumbs. "Said he was a seasoned trainer, and was lookin' ta give the egg ter someone who had time ter look after it. When he found out I was gamekeeper at Hogwarts, he got real interested, asking if I had experience with pseudo-legends. He was real excited when I told him 'bout Rocky."

"You told him!?" Ron exclaimed.

"Just tha' I raised a Tyranitar," Hagrid explained. "N'un more. I don' want no one ter snoop around the castle now, do I?"

"Well what did he ask about Rocky?" Harry interrogated.

"Huh…" Hagrid rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "I remember him askin' about how ter take care of him, so I told him – how much the bugger eats, how ter groom him, and how ter put him to sleep with a pokéflute—"

Hagrid blanched. Harry felt a sickening sensation in his stomach.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh tha'!" Hagrid exclaimed, horrified. "Forget I said— hey! Where're ya goin'?!"

XxXxX

Harry groaned, a knot of anxiety twisting in the pit of his stomach. "What are we going to do?"

Hagrid's words had immediately prompted them to go to the teachers for help, with the only problem being that there were no teachers who _could_ help them. While Hermione used Harry's pokédex to keep an eye on Snape via the Marauder's Map, Harry and Ron had rushed to McGonagall and ask her to meet Dumbledore, only for her to tell them that he'd been called to the Ministry an hour prior. With growing dread, Harry had had no choice but to tell McGonagall about his suspicions (he didn't think he could ever forget her shell-shocked face). However, as soon as she'd composed herself, the professor has simply dismissed his concerns and ordered them to return to their dorms in preparation for dinner.

And now they were stuck in the library, swimming in their own misery and anger and dread over what was to come.

Ron sighed. "Dumbledore's gone, McGonagall doesn't believe us," he said, putting up two fingers. "Anything else that could make this worse?"

Harry frowned in sadness, cradling her head in her hands. "I can't believe this."

"Look at what I found." They turned their heads and saw Hermione carrying a thick, dusty book in her hands. They flinched as she slammed it on the table the had chosen, and didn't see the stink-eye Madam Pince sent their way. "I found out why Snape attacked those Ivysaur."

" _Delving into the Mythos of Pokémon_ ," Ron read out, peeking at the books cover. "What did you find here? And why's it so _dusty_?" he added, sneezing a split-second later.

Hermione glared at him irritably. "As I was saying," she said sternly, "I figured out why Snape stole those Ivysaur pods. It's all written here."

Harry shifted closer, his curiosity spiked. "Well, what does it say?"

She cleared her throat softly. "Listen to this excerpt: ' _Like most starter pokémon, the Bulbasaur line are rare in the while; but what makes them so precious is the fact that they have been hunted to near extinction, and are said to be one of the, if not most, endangered species in the wild. It is feared that, as the population has dropped to dangerously low levels, they will join the ranks of Aerodactyl and Omanyte within the century._

"' _This is primarily due to a legend which states that if an Ivysaur's bud is removed, the Ivysaur will die; but the seed in the bud will continue to bloom and can be used to produce a potion that can renew life. This myth has been debunked, however, and only the most superstitious of the world still hold this notion in high regard_.'"

Ron and Harry gaped at her. " _That's_ why Snape attacked those Ivysaur. _That's_ why he stole one of their seeds," Hermione said, her jaw tightened.

"So what, he wants immortality?" said Ron.

Harry nodded. "And we need to stop him. We can't let him win. He's already desperate enough to murder pokémon— who knows how desperate he is to get the Jewel?"

"We can't stop him Harry," Hermione said. "He's a professor with elite level pokémon. And we— we're just a bunch of kids with—"

"I know that, Hermione!" Harry cried. "But if we don't even _try_ , Snape's going to win. And who knows what can happen if he gets what he wants – all we know of the Jewel is that it contains a lot – a _lot_ – of energy. And what if he uses the energy for something else?"

"Nuclear-level bombs," Hermione said in horror. Ron whimpered.

"We have to do this," Harry insisted. "Are you with me? Even if you aren't, I'm still doing this." When they didn't answer, he added, " _Well_?"

"We're coming with you, Har'," Ron said, clapping him on his shoulder. "No way are we letting you die alone."

Harry smiled at him. Then he looked at Hermione, who sighed.

"Of course I'm with you, Harry," she said. "But if we get caught?"

"…Let's not think about that."

XxXxX

Harry took a bite of the chicken breast on his plate. It would've tasted glorious and made him moan if he'd actually noticed what he was eating, instead of glaring hard at the staff table. He felt a stab of worry as his eyes looked over Dumbledore's empty throne. What if things went wrong?

He shook his head. Now was not the time to be pessimistic. He focused his sight back on Snape. He eyed every movement of his, from the way he took a swig from his goblet to the way he looked down his nose at the students. He looked at Harry and scowled. Harry softened his look, and discretely shifted his eyes to Seamus, who was directly front of him; it wouldn't do to warn Snape of what they were up to.

"Oi Harry, can you pass me some of those potatoes?" he heard Ron say. Harry looked away from Snape, and handed over a few boiled potatoes over to Ron with a picker. Shrugging, he grabbed one for himself and stabbed it with a fork and he looked up—

Snape was gone. His seat was empty. Dread filled Harry, sending waves of fear through him. "No," he whispered in horror. The fork clattered to the plate as Harry pulled out his pokédex and frantically sent a message to both Ron and Hermione. There were two simultaneous buzzes, making Hermione furrow her brow; Ron was busy gulping down his potatoes. Harry's feet tapped the marble floor in impatience as he watched Hermione bring out her pokédex from her pocket and open the message.

Her eyes widened, moving to look at the staff table. She gasped.

Hermione gave him a look that said, _Shit!_ even though she'd never swear.

Harry nodded grimly.

She nudged Ron, until he gasped out in pain when she stabbed his foot with the heel of shoe. "What?!" Ron demanded, hissing in pain.

" _Look_ ," whispered Hermione, discretely showing him the pokédex. Ron choked on his foot and coughed wildly by the time he was done reading the alert.

"Bollocks," he mumbled. For once, Hermione didn't chide him. "We've got to go!" he mouthed at Harry.

"I know," Harry mouthed back.

Ron nodded. Then he said. "Uh…can I finish my dinner first?" he pleaded meekly.

Harry groaned as Ron speared another potato without waiting for a response.

XxXxX

"He's still not moved," Harry complained, staring at the Marauder's Map. It was nearing midnight, and they were in the common room of their dorms, watching Snape's pinpoint on the app lie motionless in his office.

Harry looked up at the Pyroar clock above him. The minute hand twitched. He sighed.

Ron groaned. "What's he waiting for?" he said, tapping Harry's pokéflute against his thigh. "If I was in his place I'd have done it without wasting a second."

"No, you'd just sneak into the kitchens and eat yourself to sleep," Hermione muttered, grimacing in disgust as she watched Ron crunch into an apple and take long bites wide-open.

"Shuhupp, 'uhmynee!"

Harry glared at them. "Can't you two catch a break?!" he said angrily. He was furious – for what, he didn't know. "I'm sick and tired of watching you two argue for every single moment in your lives—"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

"No Hermione, I'm not going to shut up—"

"No, I'm not talking about that," she snapped. Harry quietened. "What if…what if Snape's just left his dex back in his office?" she said, horror dawning on her face. "He's not obliged to take it with him. What if we've just mucked up by waiting so long?"

It was ten seconds later when the three had jumped out of their dormitory, clipping their pokébelts around their waists and running with wide eyes.

"Bloody hell, we're screwed," Ron mumbled. Their footfalls were loud against the corridor, masking the sound of anything else around them.

Harry peeked at his dex. "Filch," he gasped, staring at the red dot slowly drifting to their own location. He looked at Hermione. "Filch is coming!"

He grabbed Prongs' pokéball and tapped the release button, grimacing as the loud noise of the pokémon being released sounded. "Who's there?" Filch's gravelly, shaky voice snarled. From the turn up ahead, Harry could see a dim light softly shining.

"Prongs, I need you to Camouflage us," Harry told the Deerling. The pokémon nodded, and Harry looked at his friends as Prongs' fur began to blend in with the surroundings. "Quick, touch Prongs – and whatever you do, _don't let go_!"

They nodded, placing their hands on either side of Prongs. Harry could already hear a soft purr – Mrs Norris has no doubt smelled them. Harry placed his hand on Prongs' snout and allowed the invisibility to engulf him.

"Purr?" meowed Mrs Norris. The Purrloin cocked her scrawny head. Harry hated the sight of her with a passion.

"What's that, kitty?" Filch said, shaking his flashlight over the place. Harry placed his free hand over Hermione's mouth and muffled her cry of "Eep!". "What do you smell?"

The feline crawled over a few feet from where the group were standing frozen still. She sniffed the air, and narrowed her eyes. Harry's heart thumped in fear.

Just then he saw an apple core flying through the air, until it splattered against the stone floor several meters away. Harry winced. Both Filch and his pokémon jumped, then whipped around and growled in sadistic delight.

Mrs Norris hissed. "Well, well," Filch muttered, cackling. "Go, sweetheart. Trap them!"

The Purrloin hesitated – as if something seemed wrong – but once Filch tapped the floor with his cane she hissed in anger and sneakily crawled away. It was quite far away, but Harry could see Mrs Norris sniff the apple core, then snarl and leap into the corridor ahead of her, as Filch followed her slowly. It was just when the grisly old caretaker turned round the corner and disappeared that Harry let out a sigh of relief and let go of Prongs, who collapsed.

"Good job, Prongs."

"Holy mother," Ron gasped. "That was close."

Hermione thwacked him over the head. "Yes, and we'd have been caught if Filch saw you throw that apple!" she snapped.

"Well we weren't caught, were we?" Ron said, smirking. "Admit it, you're just jealous that I thought of a way to get us out of this."

"The Jewel," Harry reminded impatiently. Instantly their quarrelling quelled and they sprung into action.

Harry kept Prongs at his side – just as a precaution, in case anyone else was patrolling the corridors, or if they actually met Snape along the way. It wasn't the best decision, what with the Deerling yipping in excitement as he bounded along the way, but they had to make do with what they had.

"Alright, here it goes," Harry said, putting the pokéflute up to his lips. Carefully, Ron approached the door and, much like he did before, began picking the lock with two, thin metal instruments. The lock clicked.

"Ready?" Harry asked. Hermione and Ron nodded as they released their two pokémon. An instant later Hedwig was released, and the four pokémon tensed with grim determination as Ron swiftly swung the door open.

It was just as dark as before, and the second the door was slammed open a fearsome roar split the air. Hermione screamed as Rocky smashed the ground with his massive tail, leaving in small grooves as the Tyranitar dragged it along the floor.

"Hedwig, Double Team, Confuse Ray!" Ron yelled as Harry slowly began playing the flute. Meanwhile, Inkay shot forward, extending her tentacles and wrapping them around Tyranitar to restrict its movement.

Rocky bellowed and stomped its foot, triggering a blade of stone to punch out of the ground in anger. The Stone Edge attack narrowly missed Cyndaquil, who whimpered and scurried back to Ron in fear.

As Harry began to play the sleep-inducing tune, Hedwig took it upon herself to distract Rocky from her trainer with the help of her clones. They danced around the stone monster, taunting it, angering it, and taking the brunt of its many attacks. One by one they were crushed to nothing, but every time one was eviscerated another one took its place.

Until finally the pokéflute's tune began to take effect. Slowly, but steadily, the Tyranitar began to fall asleep. At first it was simply sluggish movements, then long drawn-out yawns, until it swayed and dropped to the ground, kicking up dust as it crashed face first into the floor and began inhaling dirt.

Unfortunately, the tune hadn't just affected Rocky – Cyndaquil had tumbled down Ron's shoulder as he lost balance and hit the floor with a thump. Similarly, Inkay snored and plummeted, but was thankfully saved by Hermione, who leapt forward and caught the psychic-type in her arms. Harry quickly dropped his flute and recalled Hedwig before she could experience a nasty fall.

"Oh no," Harry muttered in shock. All their pokémon were unconscious – _how_ were they going to make a stand against Snape?

"I-I should've planned ahead," Hermione mumbled, her fingers sinking in her hair. "It's _my_ fault! How could I have been so s—"

"D-Don't worry, I have Chesto berries," a timid voice said. Harry looked around.

" _Neville_!?" Ron exclaimed, utterly bemused.

Neville smiled nervously. "H-Hey guys," he said.

"Nev, what're you doing?" Harry was confused. "You weren't supposed to be here. This is dangerous. You—"

"I know, Potter," Neville said icily. "I— I'm not as s-stupid as you lot think I am!"

Hermione stepped back. "You're not stupid, Neville, but you should be asleep, not following us! How did you even know what we were up to?"

"I heard you guys talking down during dinner," Neville answered. "Besides, I have as much of a right to be here as you are. He killed those Ivysaur. I want my revenge, and you— you're _not_ going to stop me."

Harry, Hermione and Ron exchanged a long look. Finally, Hermione sighed. "Fine, Neville," she said, albeit grudgingly. "But it something— _anything_ happens…"

Neville smiled. "Thank you. Now let's get your pokémon back in shape."

As quickly as possible, Neville rushed up to their pokémon and crushed the Chesto berries into a pulp and pushed it down their throats. First Hedwig, then Prongs, followed by Inkay and Cyndaquil. At first nothing happened, but slowly their eyelids fluttered and they came back to life albeit in a daze.

"Quick," Harry whispered, walking carefully round Rocky's massive body as to not rouse the slumbering beast. Hermione followed him, and Ron and Neville walked behind her. Softly, Harry and Ron held the trapdoor by the handle and pulled it open, wincing whenever it the rusty hinges creaked.

"Ready?" Harry asked. The rest nodded, but he could see the nervousness on their faces.

"Okay. Hermione, you first," said Harry. The girl let out a meek yelp, but nevertheless began to lower herself down the trapdoor – first her legs, then her body, until she was hanging by her fingertips. Then she shuddered. "Wai—" she began to say, but her hands lost their grip and she shrieked as she plummeted down the door.

"HERMIONE!" Ron yelled in worry, but Harry hissed in anger and slapped his hand over his mouth. Unfortunately, that made them lose their balance, and Ron cried out in shock as he stumbled over the trapdoor and sank into the darkness.

Harry, however, tried to latch onto Neville's shoulders – but the boy tried to leap out of the way and instead landed directly over the open trapdoor. The last thing Harry heard of him was a weak whimper as Neville tumbled down and to wherever Hermione and Ron were.

"Holy shit," mumbled Harry. "Are you guys alright?!" he shouted down.

"You're lucky we bloody well are, Harry!" Ron's voice echoed up.

Harry heaved a sigh of relief. Then he froze. There no longer was any snoring.

Slowly, he turned around, only to feel the urge to run as he saw a dazed Tyranitar slowly rise to its full height. It roared. Harry screamed.

There was no time to do anything else – with not a single care about his landing, Harry jumped down the hole just as Rocky slammed the trapdoor shut, screaming as he plunged down the abyss.

XxXxX

 **The votes have come in, and** _Neville WILL be keeping the Ivysaur from the last chapter_ **. Thanks to everyone for participating!**

 **If you liked this chapter, or what I'm doing with the story, don't forget to** _favourite_ **and/or** _follow_ **this story. And it wouldn't hurt to click the** _review box_ **either.**

 **Thanks for reading, guys, and I'll see you around next time!**


	15. The Path to the Jewel of Life

**_Congratulation, France!_**

XxXxX

 _Chapter Fourteen: The Path to the Jewel Of Life_

As Harry tumbled through the passageway, he braced himself for impact. But instead of splattering against hard stone and spurting blood everywhere, he sank into something incredibly soft and fluffy. Cotton…?

He gasped for air as he rose above the sea of fluff, spitting strands of fluff from his mouth. It tasted nasty, and came up to a little above his waist. "Hermione! Ron? Neville? Somebody!" he cried, his voice echoing within the walls of the chamber.

Finally, he heard something, and he felt a mixture of both dread and relief. It felt like something had risen above and was wading towards him. He could see a dark silhouette. He tried to step back, but it was tough trying to walk through so much fluff. A hand grabbed at him—

"Harry, it's me." And he breathed in relief. It was Hermione, and her brown bar was bushier than ever and had a _lot_ of cotton clinging to her scalp, not that she cared. They had more pressing matters at hand. "Ron and Neville are right behind me. Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he answered. He grunted as he pulled his hand free. "What _is_ this?!"

"Cotton," Neville answered. He sounded grim. "And I think I know what caused this."

"Tell us, then!" Ron prompted. He was frustrated.

A giggle sounded, and Harry froze. It sounded suspiciously like the giggles little ghost girls made in those horror movies Dudley liked to watch when Petunia and Vernon were sleeping. "Wh-What's that?" he whimpered.

Something moved. Then Harry could see a fluffy, blobby silhouette bouncing on the other end of the chamber. "S-Something's there!" Ron moaned. His hand moved around his backpack, which he unzipped. Then he pulled out the large flashlight Harry had given him and switched it on. Instantly light flooded the room, and their mystery creature was identified.

"I was right," Neville muttered. "It's a Whimsicott."

"What's it doing here?"

"Making clothes," Harry snapped sarcastically, keeping an eye on the dancing and giggling Whimsicott. "What do you think it's doing? Dumbledore's put it here to guard the place, like he put Rocky. Now we just have to get past it."

"Use your pokéflute," Hermione suggested.

Unfortunately, they couldn't. As Harry inspected it, he found out that cotton and fluff had somehow managed to sneak in through the holes of the instrument and had filled it completely. It would take a long time for them to clean it and use it properly.

"So, how do we get past it?" asked Ron.

"Whimsicott aren't known to be aggressive creatures," Hermione murmured. "And it doesn't look like it put up a fight against Snape when he came through earlier. I guess we just have to walk up to the door?"

There were no other bright ideas, so they shrugged and listened to Hermione. Neville was the only hesitant one, and quickly went to the back, while Harry began wading through the pool of cotton. The Whimsicott did look innocent. Surely—

Suddenly, the Windveiled pokémon growled – it was a cute one, but it made the hairs on Harry's arm stand straight. Sensing danger, Harry began to move frantically towards the door, ripping and pulling out the waist-high cotton surrounding him – the metal door was right in front of him, and it seemed just within reach—

Suddenly, the Whimsicott sucked in a gallon of breath and spewed out a gust of wind. All of a sudden the fluff in the room started flying around, like a wave starting to brew and the Gryffindor Four were themselves caught in the gale of wind escaping the fairy; as they were sent flying back, the mass of cotton came crashing down like a wave, and they were once again buried under, and they began flailing to once again breathe air.

"What the hell," exclaimed Ron, spitting strands of fluff from his mouth. He helped Harry up, who in turn grabbed Hermione and Neville by the arm. He looked around – the Gust attack had been strong enough to send most of the fluff flying, along with themselves, and the craziest part was that the Whimsicott had been sent spinning itself, what with how featherweight it was.

"Whenever we get close, that damned Whimsicott's going to send everything flying," Ron murmured. "This thing's got us trapped in hell! A fluffy one, of all places!"

"Wait a minute," Hermione said. She had her thinking face on. "Harry, I need you to bring out Hedwig; Ron, release Cyndaquil, and Neville, get Trevor." When they each looked at her quizzically, she snapped, "Just do it."

Shrugging, they pulled up their pokébelts and detached their pokémon's pokéballs – in a second, they were out, with Hedwig and Cyndaquil immediately landing on their trainer's shoulders while Neville and Hermione held Trevor the Palpitoad above the fluff. The Whimsicott didn't seem affected, but Harry noticed a different gleam in its eyes, one that indicated that it was both scared and wary.

"Whimsicott are lightweight pokémon," Hermione remembered. "Ron, I need Cyndaquil to keep Whimsicott at bay with its fire. Once it's corner, Harry, tell Hedwig to blow it as far away from us with her Gust. And Neville; order Trevor to drench the cotton with its water attacks. Understood?"

They didn't, but they nodded. The Whimsicott narrowed its eyes.

"Now!"

Cyndaquil leapt into the air and scarpered over to Whimsicott, spraying fires in its direction. It shrieked at the presence of the Embers, and quickly leapt into the air, and floated away like a balloon, only to be confronted by Hedwig, who quickly flapped her wings and produced a gust, blowing the grass-type into the far wall of the chamber; it was so light that it couldn't even resist the gust keeping it pressed against the wall. As a result of the winds, the soft cotton also began to fly into the air, but Neville had taken care of that. Trevor had soaked the cotton with a few Water Pulse, making them contract and form clumps, while also drenching Neville, Harry, Ron and Hermione.

As Cyndaquil and Hedwig kept Whimsicott busy in a corner, Harry and the rest began rushing towards the iron door. It was much easier moving through wet cotton, even though fluff was stuck to their clothes. Ignoring the squelching sounds as their feet moved, Ron and Neville tugged at the latch and successfully opened it up. Pushing the door open, Harry waited as his friends ran to the other side, and just as he closed the door he and Ron recalled their pokémon, trapping the Whimsicott back in its jail.

Harry ruffled his hair. "We made it!" he remarked excitedly, wiping the water droplets off his glasses.

"Yeah, but our clothes are _soaking_ ," Ron complained.

"And there's cotton in my _hair_!" bemoaned Hermione, looking close to throwing a fit.

"Look, the important part is that we got through the Rocky and that Whimsicott. And what's more pressing at hand, your hair or defeating Snape?" Harry said. Hermione looked sheepish. "Right. Let's make a move. We've got to get to Snape before he finds the Jewel of Life."

Determined nods answered him. Feeling a sense of warmth, he smiled and nodded back before they jogged along the passageway they were in. Their wet clothes made uncomfortable sounds as they moved, and left a trail of water drops behind them. Harry felt irritated wearing soaked socks.

"There! I can see something!" Harry exclaimed, pointing in front of him. Indeed, he could see the narrow passageway expand, and a bronze door at the other end. As they slipped into the wide room, they were face with their next obstacle.

"So we have to climb this thing, now?" Ron harrumphed.

The structure in front of them was odd, to say the least. It looked like a normal wall for rock climbing – handles protruded from the section, allowing one to climb their way to the top, but the weird part was the pokéballs half-embedded and scattered wildly along the wall. The door in the centre, right in front of them, had only a keyhole. Ron immediately fished out his lock-picking instruments and began fiddling with the keyhole.

"Nothing," he grumbled ten minutes later. He'd tried bending the apparatus twelve different ways to crudely fit the hole, but he didn't have any luck. He thrust the pieces of metal in his pocket and looking hard at the wall along with his friends.

"Maybe one of the pokéballs contain the key to the door," Neville suggested. "Perhaps you've got to find the one that fits?"

Harry snapped his fingers triumphantly. "Yeah! Great job, Nev!" Harry said, clapping him on the back. Neville blushed.

"Alright, I'll search for the key," said Harry after a minute. "Just give me a leg up – I'll get it in a minute."

The first pokéball he touched gave him the shock of his life – _literally_.

As his fingers closed over the 'pokéball', a small but powerful electric current shot out of the object and electrocuted Harry's hand. He flinched a yelled as a sharp sting passed up his arm, which quickly went numb. The pokéball-like object popped out of its socket and fell to the ground. Harry, who had been taken by surprise by the sudden shock, let go of his grip and tumbled down himself and landed hard on the floor.

"Ow!" hissed Harry, grabbing his arm. It had gone numb, and it hurt a bit, like a bee sting, but quickly enough he was able to feel again. His friends converged on him and looked down in concern. "What the hell was that?"

Not too far away from them was the object that had electrocuted Harry. Upon closer inspection, it was found to be a rather small pokéball-shaped creature, with two cross eyes and no other discernible features.

"A newly-hatched Voltorb!" Hermione said. Steam was still rising from it in thin wisps. "It must've exploded with electricity when you touched it. That Explosion must've knocked it unconscious."

"It's a good thing it wasn't a full-grown one, or else you'd be missing an arm," Ron said grimly, "at _least_."

"So what?" Harry snapped, squeezing his wrist. "I've got to find out which one's the right pokéball, and possibly get shocked a couple times?"

"Yeah, that sums it up pretty much," Ron said apologetically.

Harry scowled. "Why do _I_ have to be the one to do it?"

"You volunteered," Neville said, barely hiding a grin. Harry glared at him.

Hermione looked at him in pity. "I'm sorry, Harry, but we've got no other choice," she said sadly.

Harry growled. "Alright, fine." He stalked back to where he'd started from and looked up at the number of Voltorb angrily. There were at least thirty of them, for God's sake!

"Here," Hermione muttered. Harry looked in her direction only to gasp in pain as something incredibly sharp pricked a vein along his right arm.

"Ouch, Hermione! I'm already planning on getting hurt, but that does not mean you stab me with a needle!"

"It's a anti-paralysis syringe, stupid," she said, swabbing the place with a knob of cotton. "I got some supplies just in case our pokémon got hurt, or poisoned, or something. It'll make you nearly immune to electric shocks for some time, unlike paralyse heals, which only cure paralysis and don't make you immune to shocks."

"Oh. Thanks." His face reddened in embarrassment, and he turned back to the wall he had to scare. "Damn."

For the next ten minutes Harry had to wince every time his finger touched an unsuspecting Voltorb. The electric shock still passed through him, but it was nothing more than touching a cactus – just a minor sting, and nothing else. Thankfully, there were also some pokéballs in place of Voltorb containing wrong keys, but that only frustrated him. The only downside was that it didn't last very long for humans – after a certain amount of time, he could feel his immunity start to wane, and it became less of a minor inconvenience and more of a major discomfort.

By the time he was done knocking out twenty Voltorb, the anti-paralysis medicine had faded, and his lips bled when he bit them the next time he touched a Voltorb. His eyes shut close as he heard the Voltorb pop out of the hole and fall to the ground, where it bounced and joined the rest of its unconscious brethren. He looked at his arm and his heart skipped a beat – his fingers were blackened and his arm was an angry red. His limb was numb, and he shook it hard, wincing through the pin-and-needle sensation climbing along his arm as he began to feel once again.

Harry looked down and almost lost his grip. His friends almost looked like _ants_ down there. Littered around them were unconscious Voltorb that were still steaming. Harry focused back on the task at hand.

There were still five more balls around him – two to either side, and three a few bumps above him. He felt his right tentatively – no shock. Harry sighed and plucked the pokéball out and tossed it down. "Check this one!" he yelled at them.

He heard Ron catch the pokéball and release the contents, along with the faint clink of metal against itself. "No, it's the wrong key!" he heard back.

Harry cursed out loud and ignored Hermione's shout of, "Language!"

He looked to his left and grabbed it, immediately regretting the decision as his hand was electrocuted. His fist tightened against the clamp he was holding on and squeezed his arm through the pain. He glared angrily at the steaming pile of Voltorb below. He'd get his revenge later.

There were only three more. Harry climbed up until all three were at the same distance away from him. He quickly touched the right one and was shocked, and without a second touched the one above him with the same hand and was shocked again. This time his vision flickered black and lost his grip, but not before he plucked out the final pokéball and fell to the ground, palming it firm in his hands.

Thick, green vines wrapped around Harry's waist and slowed his descent, holding him firm in the air and then lowering him to the ground. Without a second to lose Hermione ran up to him and wasted an entire can of paralyse heal over him. Soon enough, the pain began to vanish, and his vision cleared out until he could finally see properly again.

"Your fingers," Hermione said in horror.

Harry smirked. "They'll be fine."

"Grab it with your vines!" shouted Neville.

Harry looked up and saw a tiny, metallic creature buzzing off in the air – he noticed several keys jingling from its hoop – but before it could escape a green tentacle snagged it and brought it to the ground. It was struggling to break free, but Ron ran up to the fairy and held it down.

"What's that?" asked Harry as he and Hermione walked over.

"It's a Klefki," Ron said as he plucked the number of keys off it. It screeched, but it didn't seem threatening at all. "Yeah, yeah, scream all you want," he mocked as he walked over to the door. Neville plucked the pokéball off the ground and recalled the Klefki back into its pokéball.

Ron tried a number of keys before finally finding the one that fit the keyhole. "Gotcha," he muttered, twisting the key. "Good work, Harry. Must've been hard."

"You have no idea," he said, as Ron swung the door open.

XxXxX

At first it was so dark in the room that Harry was afraid he'd suddenly turned blind. Then, slowly, as he blinked furiously, he could see the outline of stone blocks making the wall. It was still pretty dark, which was why he called upon Hermione for help.

"Alright," remarked Hermione. "Inkay, use Flash!"

The spots on Inkay's body began to shine uncontrollably until they were so strong that Harry was blinded for a few seconds as he accidentally glanced at them. Beams of light exploded from her spots until they converged in mid-air to form a concentrated ball of light that filled the entire chamber with brightness. Smiling, Inkay sagged into Hermione's arms and snuggled as her trainer cradled her.

"Thanks, Inkay," said Harry, receiving a chirp in response. "What obstacle are we looking at now?"

"There's…nothing," muttered Neville, taking a step forward.

Harry's heart skipped a beat. There truly was _nothing_. The chamber was wide, half as big as the great hall, but all it held was an endless expanse of space. Everything was smooth and as black as obsidian. There was no door leading to the next room. No exit. He whipped around on a hunch, and was scared to see that the door they had come from had vanished as well.

"We're trapped," gasped Neville. His breathing was quick, harsh. "It was a trap all along, and now Snape's going to achieve immortality any second now—"

"Shh, there's got to be a way out of here," said Hermione, but even she looked frantic. Her hands were sinking into her soggy hair as she walked around in circles. Harry went up to the walls of the room and began dragging his hands along the stone; there had to be a faulty block of stone, a latch, _something_ —

"Um, guys?" came Ron's voice. "What're you freaking out for? There's a door right here."

Everyone else stopped where they were. "What?" Harry said. "Ron, there's no escape. Were in a windowless, door-less room."

"There's something right here," said Ron. He moved his hand at a smooth part of the wall. He grinned nervously. "It's…shimmering— well, I don't know how to explain it, but I felt something over here, and as soon as I touched this part I can feel a bolt of some kind…It's like it's invisible or something."

"An illusion, perhaps," mused Hermione. She looked at Harry. "Could you ask Rowlet you use Shadow Ball where Ron is pointing at?"

"Alright," he said, knowing better to question her. He released Hedwig and scratched under her chin as he walked to where Ron was. Harry looked at his friend oddly, but decided to save the questions for later. "Where?"

"Right here," pointed Ron, rapping his knuckles against the spot.

"Alright Hedwig, use Shadow Ball!" The Rowlet shrieked and flapped her wings before shooting a ghostly blob right where Ron had pointed. It exploded point-blank, and as soon as it did a ripple spread from the source of impact, moving around the walls and through the floor and ceiling. Harry looked down, watching the floor and everything around him shift and shimmer. The smooth stone morphed into tiles and grooves between the stone walls began to appear. Where the Shadow had struck, the empty block of earth revealed a thick metal door tightly bolt shut.

A whimper from Neville caught his attention. Harry frowned and turned around. "What's—"

What he saw made his heart freeze. In the centre of the room stood a lone creature, a bipedal fox-like pokémon. It was clothed in grey and black fur, but it had a long mane of crimson running from its head; blue crystal bound the mane, almost like a ponytail. The ears were pointed, as was its snout, and its slanted eyes shone an eerie blue. At the corners of its mouth were red patches of fur that gave it a terrifying appearance when it bared its sharp, long fangs. Obsidian claws shone under the unearthly light in the room. It cackled.

"Wh-What's that?" Ron stammered.

"A Z-Zoroark," answered Hermione. She looked deathly pale. " _Please_ don't tell me we have to battle it."

Harry gulped. Judging from its lithe appearance, he had not doubt that it could come over to him and slice his throat before he could even blink. It looked incredibly dangerous, even scarier than Rocky, who was probably the most terrifying pokémon he'd ever seen. Was this Zoroark going to kill him?

"Keep your pokémon ready," Harry managed to say. "Maybe it's weak."

"No way. Zorua evolve very late into Zoroark, so this one has to be much stronger than all of our pokémon combined," Hermione informed. Harry glared at her. There were times when he hated her for knowing so much.

"No matter. It's probably weakened after Snape beat it. After all, Ron could see through its illusion," said Neville.

However, they didn't have to battle it. After inspecting the group of Gryffindors for a few more seconds, the Zoroark dropped down and sat lazily on the floor. Harry looked at it in puzzlement. It looked bored.

"Er…Can we leave?" Harry asked stupidly. He felt silly for expecting a response.

Surprisingly, it answered. It flicked its clawed hand, like it was dismissing a pest. It yawned.

"Uh…Alright." Harry looked at Ron. "Are you sure it won't attack us when we turn our backs at it?"

"It's no worse than it attacking us right now," Ron reasoned. Neville and Hermione shrugged.

Harry glanced back at the Zoroark. "Er, alright then. Thanks…?"

The dark-type didn't even acknowledge him. It simply stared at a spot on the floor.

Sensing that they were no longer wanted, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville quickly made their getaway. They walked past the door and closed it shut. The moment they did, it shimmered out of existence, and they were locked in another room without doors or windows, this one the size of a closet.

"Great." Ron threw up his arms. "Do we gotta find _another_ Zoroark? Because I can't luck out like the last time."

"There's something right there," Hermione said. She pointed at the other end – there was a tile surrounded by a circular frame, with pale light coming from under.

"A teleportation tile," she said. "It's our ticket to where the Jewel of Life is."

"Alright, let's go then." Ron made to walk to it, but he was stopped by Hermione, who grabbed his arm.

"Wait! Shouldn't we heal all our pokémon first? What if we have to battle Snape? It wouldn't do to fight him without our pokémon in top condition."

Harry shrugged. "I guess you're right," he muttered. The took out their pokéballs, tapping the button, and sent out their pokémon. Immediately the room was far more cramped.

Ron, however, suddenly had a new addition to his team. "A Voltorb?!" Harry cried out, repulsed. He hated them after raised earlier encounter with them.

Ron grinned. "I caught this one back when you were still finding the key," he said. "I figured I could train this one to tip-top shape. You'll be ' _shocked'_ by how strong they can become!"

"I hate you."

"There, it's done," Hermione said. She handed a revive capsule to Harry, Ron and Neville. "Keep this with you, in case one of your pokémon faint." She looked grim. "We'll need it."

Harry nodded. He looked at the rest. "I'm glad you guys are my friends. I know no one else would come along with me to die."

Neville, despite being uneasy, grinned. Ron clapped him on the back and then Hermione pulled them all into a group hug.

"Alright, let's go!"

Harry watched as Hermione, then Neville, then Ron, each dematerialised as soon as soon as they stepped onto the Teleporter. He took a deep breath, and, bracing himself, hopped onto it. He felt a jerk behind his navel as he was yanked from his spot and to where he was destined to be transferred. He felt that familiar sensation of being squeezed through a tight, metal tube as he was transported, had a jarring impact as he landed on the stone floor, and came face to face with not Severus Snape, but Quirinus Quirrel.

XxXxX

 **As the one year anniversary for this fic is nearing, I decided to put most of my time in finishing this book instead of my other stories. The next chapter will be out within a week (or ten days at most) and the one after that will be on the fourth of August. Happy reading!**

 **What happened with Ron in Zoroark's chamber will be revealed in the last chapter of this fic, don't worry.**

 **I hope the obstacles I provided were good enough! I wanted to make it a tribute to the book – the first one was with Hermione's help, the second with Harry's, and the last with Ron's (yep, I purposely didn't include the one with the fire and the potions/poisons/wine). Sadly, I couldn't hone Neville, primarily because JKR didn't give a rat's ass about him until OotP onwards. Poor Nev.**

 **The Ivysaur will be under Neville's ownership in book two. Don't worry.**

 **The next poll will be for Hermione: which pokémon do you want her to have? The options are** _Swinub, Smoochum, Munna, Solosis, Mienfoo, Nidoran (F)_ **. Vote for the ones you want her to have the most, and thanks!**

 **Review responses:**

 **Guest (chapter 14): Nice to see a reboot of the old version. Will you be giving Voldemort immortality, like in the books? If not, how will he be resurrected in the fourth book? Thanks.**

 _-This is a subject that I don't want to touch upon much – there's a very thin line between keeping readers in the dark and spilling all the clues. I'll do my best to keep you guys on a treasure hunt during the series._

 **cruzcartoon: I like it but in the next chapter can you do a list of who has what pokemon because it's been a while and I forget**

 _-It'll be the first thing you see next chapter!_

 **ThunderClaw03: Great job keep it up. Update soon**

 _-Thank you!_

 **Until next time then, and have a good one!**


	16. The Mask

_Note: Some of the stuff here is graphic. Sorry about that._

XxXxX

 **User _cruzcartoon_ wanted a list of pokémon each character has, so here it is:**

 _ **Harry** :_

 _—Hedwig (Female Rowlet)_

 _—Prongs (Male Deerling)_

 _ **Ron** :_

 _—Cyndaquil (Male)_

 _—Scabbers (Male Rattata)_

 _—Voltorb_

 _ **Hermione** :_

 _—Inkay (Female)_

 _ **Neville** :_

 _—Turtwig (Male)_

 _—Trevor (Male Palpitoad)_

XxXxX

 _Chapter Fifteen: The Mask_

Harry choked. "Professor _Quirrel_?"

Quirinus Quirrel looked nothing like the person the congregation of Hogwarts had come to know. Gone were the whimpering gait and watery eyes; in place of the hobbling man Harry had thought him to be, there now stood someone with an air of power and danger. Every crisp movement of his made him sharper and stronger than he seemed a second ago. The pale eyes were replaced with stormy-grey ones and seemed to look directly through Harry. A smile, a cruel one, formed on his lips, as glanced at the four children slowly rising from the floor. In his arms was a small incubator, holding a green sphere – the Jewel of Life. He tilted his head.

"You're here," he murmured, clasping his hands. "I had been waiting."

No, there had to be something else, it couldn't be _Quirrel_ who was after the Jewel…

"Professor Quirrel, where's Professor Snape?" Hermione asked timidly, refusing to believe herself for a second. "Did…did you stop him?"

A harsh, biting laugh escaped Quirrel's throat at Hermione's words. Hard grey eyes leered at the four. "Severus? He does seem the type, doesn't he, all batty and cranky, and his dressing sense surely does not help him," Quirrel mused airily. "But no, you seem to be mistaken for the first time, Ms Granger – Severus did no come here tonight to steal the Jewel of Life. I did."

"But— but you _can't_ ," Ron said disbelievingly. "You can barely look at your own reflection without jumping in fright."

Quirrel glared at Ron. "As much as I want to kill you for saying that," he muttered, ignoring Ron's loud gulp, "I'll let it pass. It was difficult to not be my competent self in front of you cretins for an entire year. Oh, how I hated being seen as a bumbling, idiotic fool…It's bad enough that students were far less scared of me than they were of Filch."

"You were the one who brought the Bewear into the castle, weren't you?" Harry said.

Quirrel nodded. "Of course. I rather like Bewear…they symbolize me. They look like unassuming, fluffy creatures of pure innocence, but inside they hold a potential for destruction and brutality. Much like me.

"But I digress," he continued. "For my master, I will do anything. It is because of him that I saw the light and was brought out of the darkness. He is the one that introduced me to such power. And I couldn't deny his little request, no matter how difficult it was."

"And…" Harry gulped. "Who is your master?"

"The Dark Lord Voldemort," Quirrel proclaimed gleefully.

"He's dead," Harry boomed. He looked uncharacteristically defiant as he faced Quirrel. "He died the night the spineless bastard tried to kill me!"

"Am I?" rasped a gravelly, harsh voice. It took them by surprise, and their eyes flitted across the massive room, trying to glance at the mystery intruder. "Quirrel…let me see the boy."

All of a sudden, Quirrel looked nervous. "But master, you are not strong enough—"

"Your Lord commands you to obey!" the voice hissed, this time louder, and angrier, and far less shaky.

Quirrel looked like a whimpering coward as he wrung his sweaty hands, until they shakenly made their way to the purple turban and began to slowly unwrap it, letting the matted cloth fall to the ground in a swirling heap. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Quirrel took something form his cloak – a matted, golden mask – and pressed it firmly against his face.

Harsh screams rang through Harry's ears as Quirrel writhed in pain in his place. Steam hissed as the mask slowly stitched itself to his skin – the rim of the mask fused with his flesh, burning the sallow skin, from which blood trickled down as the process continued. It was horrifying, traumatic, and it would haunt Harry's dreams for the next several nights.

Black miasma leaked from the eyeholes in the mask and swirled around Quirrel's head as whatever gruesome process was taking place came to a close.

It was abhorrent, whatever it was. It looked like a second face, with emaciated skin that was stretched tight, forming straining wrinkles and skin folds. The eyeholes were hollow and red light peeked out of the sockets. A thin mouth was stretched from side to side, crudely twisting upwards to form a cruel, nauseating smile.

"Harry Potter," it hissed. It – he, whatever the creature was – sounded like metal grinding against itself, and made Harry squint in discomfort. "Do you recognize me? Do you see what I have become, what I have been reduced to? A mere remnant of my former self, relying on my pitiful servants for existence. Pathetic."

"No…It can't be," Neville whimpered.

Voldemort's eyes shifted to him. It seemed like Quirrel no longer had control over his actions, and Voldemort was puppeteering the man. "Ah, Longbottom. The last I saw of you was when my Death Eaters attacked your grandfather and struck him down. And Weasley – I particularly remember killing the Prewett's personally. And Granger, the mudblood. Salazar must but rolling in his grave." He turned his attention to Harry. "You see, boy? It was nothing personal. We were simply on different sides of a war, and it was a shame that it cost you your parents. But this time we can make things different. You see, Harry, there isn't good or evil…only _power_. Join me, boy, and I will spare your friends. Join me, and we will bring order to this world under our rule."

"Sorry, but no." Harry's jaw tightened and his hand detached the pokéballs on his belt. "You made me decide when you killed my parents. I will _never_ join the likes of _you_!"

Voldemort's thin mouth twisted into a scowl. "No matter. Quirrel, kill the boy!"

"Now!" Harry yelled, and instantly there were bursts of light as his friends released their pokémon. Inkay, Cyndaquil, Turtwig, Trevor, Hedwig, Prongs, and even Scabbers rushed into battle as Quirrel slowly took out pokéballs of his own. A ball of water escaped Trevor's mouth and came just close enough to smash into Voldemort's, but all of a sudden pale, ghostly arms grew out of the sides of his head and formed a protective shield, saving them from the devastating impact the Water Pulse would have.

"Barbaracle, Slash." The humanoid rock-type made a grunting noise before jumping forward and swinging his claws at Trevor. The Palpitoad's cry of pain made Neville shout in anger as the sharp talons ripped into the amphibian and sent him flying. As Trevor began to rise back up, the Barbaracle moved to Slash again, but was knocked away by a Leafage from Hedwig and Vine Whips from Turtwig.

A massive Bewear, much bigger than the ones back on Halloween, exploded from Quirrel's greatball and roared before lumbering towards Ron. He screamed and instinctively curled up in a ball, but all of a sudden Inkay pushed him away and took the brunt of the Mega Punch. Concentrating the damage she'd received into a Foul Play, she rushed forward and slammed straight into the Bewear's underbelly, cloaked in dark energy. While Inkay had been knocked out, the Bewear stumbled forward and fell to its knees, panting and gasping in pain. Harry grinned. They were winning!

Unfortunately, he spoke too soon. The Barbaracle grasped Turtwig by his vines and swung him around like a hammer before crashing headfirst into the turtle, knocking in out. A magnificent and crazed Dodrio was released from another one of Quirrel's greatball and pecked at Trevor until the Palpitoad was nothing but a unconscious ball of flesh. Quirrel's Bewear had finally recovered and crushed Hedwig under its fist, making Harry look at her bent wing in horror as blood seeped out.

Cyndaquil tried burning Quirrel, but the man endured the flames like it was nothing until his left hand was nothing but blackened and burnt as he walked towards Cyndaquil and kicked him right into the waiting arms of Barbaracle, who put the shrew out with a rather powerful Scald. Prongs managed to evade capture with his invisibility and hit his opponents with Leech Seed – but eventually they too lucked out and tripped him up before pummeling him out cold.

"You really thought you and your pathetic pokémon could stand a chance against MY team?!" Quirrel – no, Voldemort – laughed. Harry, sweating bullets, tried to recall his pokémon, but a buzzing distracted him and suddenly he was pinned to the wall by his wrists. He screamed in pain as he felt electric currents passing up his arm and looked to either side. Two Magnemite – a Magneton, rather – had pinned him to the wall, locking his arm between the space of the large horseshoe magnets. A chain of electricity connect the three heads, and the hairs on his body began to rise from the generated static electricity. As he looked up ahead, he saw Quirrel's body slowly making his way, his legs clopping menacingly as he stalked to where Harry was lay airborne.

"You thought this was a game, Potter?" snarled Voldemort, his hands wrapping around his thin neck. Harry gasped for breath as the thick fingers tightened around his skin, the fingernails drawing blood. "That this was another one of Quirrel's class? You are _nothing_ compared to me, boy! You will never be! I have been training for years! Did you really think your little starter pokémon could stand a chance against the all-powerful Dark Lord?" he sneered.

Voldemort's grip tightened and Harry's eyes began to water. A twisted smile graced the golden mask, cold red eyes staring into his soul. "And I have already defeated Dumbledore, have found the Jewel of Life. Once I gain immortality, nothing can stop me, not even the blasted prophecy that shackled the two of us so many years ago." Despite the pain, Harry couldn't help but feel puzzled. _Prophecy?_

Black, ghostly air began to thicken around Voldemort. "And when I'm done with you, you'll be begging Lord Voldemort for death. I will peel your skin off and make you watch me wear it. And only one you beg for death will I grant mercy on—"

A sudden scream rattled Voldemort and snapped him out of his monologue. His eyes flitting to his right, Harry saw Ron pick up his Voltorb and toss it like a pokéball, aiming for the Magneton pinning him to the wall; the Voltorb bounced off Quirrel's pokémon and, with a loud screech, popped explosively, making the steel-type pokémon fly away from each other and loosen their hold on Harry, whose ears rang in agony. Harry slumped to the floor, and was finally able to breath properly for the fire time in what felt like years; oxygen burned his nostrils, but he didn't care.

"Foolish boy!" Voldemort raged, shaking an arm in Ron's direction. All of a sudden, Ron screamed. The Barbaracle had sneaked upon him and sunk its claws into his back, and knocked him to the ground. Harry could see a red liquid slowly streaming from his back.

"Ron!" he cried out of fear for him.

"Silence!" He felt Voldemort's kick him hard in the ribs and he was knocked back to the wall. "His time will come, but first I will deal with you. How I've longed to see you bleed, Pot—!"

"Weavile, Razor Wind!" said a feeble, yet loud voice.

The was the sound of something sharp speeding through the air, and then Voldemort made a noise of pain as a blade of wind cleaved perfectly along the length of his arm and sliced it right off. Harry flinched in fear as the severed limb clattered to the floor, along with the casket containing the Jewel, just a few inches away from him, blood spraying onto his face and cracked glasses. He looked up; Voldemort was staggering backwards as he held his stump of an arm.

"What—?!" cried Voldemort, staring around, and then he breathed, " _Dumbledore!_ "

Harry looked where Voldemort was staring. Dumbledore was standing next to Ron, a Weavile and Oranguru on either side of him.

"Oranguru!" said Dumbledore, as Voldemort moved to grab Harry with his only arm. With a swing of his leafy fan, the bulky ape psychically grabbed both Harry and the Jewel of Life and levitated him to Dumbledore within a blink of an eye. Voldemort's fist closed around dry air.

"It was foolish to come tonight, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Do not call me by that name!" spat Voldemort, thrusting his open fist forward; a bolt of purple smoke burst from palm but missed, instead hitting the far side of the wall, leaving no discernible mark.

"Barbaracle, Dodrio, Bewear, Magneton: attack!" roared Voldemort, forcing Quirrel's pokémon to move. Dumbledore's Weavile froze Dodrio with a powerful Ice Beam and lashed out at Barbaracle with a flurry of its claws; Oranguru, on the other hand, let out a powerful psychic blast at Bewear, throwing the fighting-type across the room, where it landed in a heap before rising back up and smashing its fists together.

A bolt of lightening poured out of Magneton, but Dumbledore released another pokémon that weathered the blow head-on. The Eelektross screeched before releasing an electrical shockwave that acted as an EMP – it washed over the Magneton within a second; each single Magnemite crackled before the entire creature fell apart and rolled helplessly on the ground.

"Surrender now, Voldemort," said Dumbledore. Voldemort looked around angrily; all of his servant's pokémon were losing; his red eyes glimmered with hope as the Bewear threw a Mega Punch at Weavile, but screamed when a final psychic blast from Oranguru knocked it out.

"Never!" shrieked Voldemort. "Zweilous, Dragon Rage!"

A two headed draconian monster exploded from the ultra-ball Voldemort held and immediately released a massive ball of dragon energy. Harry watched, both in awe and fear, as the blue-green sphere swirled forward, threatening to raze everything in its path. Dumbledore's Eelektross moved forward to intercept it with a Thunderbolt, but the Dragon Rage seemed to absorb the electricity, and exploded as soon as it came in contact with the slimy electric-type.

A brilliant flash of light blinded Harry, who cowered under the brightness. The entire room shook with the aftermath of the collision and Oranguru erected a gleaming, emerald shield that protected the rest from the debris of the Dragon Rage. How—?

"Give me the Jewel, Dumbledore, and I shall let you live!" came Voldemort's yell from the other side. "Zweilous, Dragonbreath!"

"And risk you bringing another war to Omnis? Thunderbolt!" Dumbledore shouted and Eelektross engaged with the two-headed dragon. The green flames and blue electricity cancelled each other out, creating another veil of dust that separated the two.

As soon as the dust dropped, Voldemort took his chance – he spat another bolt of ghost energy, one that took Dumbledore by surprise; the aged Headmaster doubled over in pain as the blob of shadowy energy bowled into his gut. With unnerving speed, Voldemort rushed forward and picked up the incubator holding the Jewel. Holding it up high, he smashed it open and held the Jewel in his hands, reveling in its glory.

"No!" Harry cried.

Voldemort smiled. "Too late, Potter," he breathed, staring at the orb in his hands; with a gravelly hiss to his voice, Voldemort incanted: " _Rew opeth sahtro medl ovdr olyam, suec rafo rew op eh tyb!_ "

A blinding, golden light exploded from the orb and engulfed the entire room in a yellow hue. Harry could only watch as raw power flowed from the Jewel of Life, and into Quirrel's body, the shining mask hissing all the while. At first, everything seemed to go along perfectly; but not a moment later the orb began to hiss, and Voldemort's smile soon turned into a frown, then a glare, and finally a look of horror.

A scream filled the air as Quirrel's skin began to hiss and glow an angry red. Hot blisters bubbled across his body, and the most gruesome sight let Harry's eyes: the flesh along Quirrel's frame began to bubble until it slowly began to melt along his bones. The cloak melted and seeped into his skin, and Voldemort threw the shining Jewel, which bounced along with floor. With a scream of pain, he clawed at his clothes, only for his fingernails to come away ripped and broken, his clothes coming off along with strips of his skin. Harry's stomach heaved, and he puked.

"Help me, master!" This time it was Quirrel who spoke; it seemed that Voldemort had given up on him and was trying to get away. Quirrel clawed at the golden mask and ripped it off his face; blood poured down his cheeks as his own skin was torn away along with it. " _Kill_ me!"

Quirrel fell to the ground. He writhed in agony until finally the energy within him detonated, spraying the room and its contents with blood and guts. The mask that had been in control of him began to shake uncontrollably on the floor and red light began to glow around it.

Harry got up from his spot and stomped over the golden mask. It shattered under his heel, brittle from the raw heat and energy it had experienced not a moment ago. Purplish-black fog hissed out the second it was broken into pieces, and then rushed to an invisible focal point high in the air. A pair of glowing, elliptical red eyes glared at him; then it dissolved through the stone ceiling and disappeared.

Harry stared at the Jewel of Life lying innocently on the floor. His head swimming from the heat, he passed out.

XxXxX

 **No there isn't any magic, this is all part of stuff that'll be ultimately revealed in books 4 and 6. Don't get mad.**

 **Some of the stuff was pretty graphic in the last few paragraphs. If you made it through that, congratulations, you've got a strong stomach!**

 **Yes the prophecy is mentioned here and yes Harry will learn about it soon enough.**

 **If you like what I'm doing here, make sure to favorite/follow this story, and it won't hurt to visit the review box down below.**

 **Review responses:**

 **ThunderClaw03: I hope Harry has somewhere to go besides the Dursley's, they are just evil people. Can't wait to see what happens next update soon**

 _—I can't say much about Harry's living situation right now, but I can assure you that he'll find a safe place soon._

 **James Birdsong (Guest): Well written**

 _—Thank you!_

 **ShadowLeafeon33: Ooh plot twist! If you haven't read Harry Potter, that is. (I have ) Can you give Ron a new pokemon! Without a poll. And will Pokemon evolve in this fanfic?**

 **Love your stories!**

 _—Yes, Ron will get a new Pokémon pretty soon – you'll just have to wait for book two! As for evolution, yes, that'll happen in this story. Hope that clears it up!_

 **mbahgila21: Good...**

 **Hermione:**

 **Munna or Glameow or Teddyursa or Smochum**

 **Ginny:**

 **Evee or Skitty or Ralts or Alolan Vulpix**

 **Harry**

 **\- Litten or Chimchar or Cubchoo or Titouga**

 **Maybe next or in book 2 you can add this pokemon too..**

 **Sorry for my bad english..**

 _—I'll take your choices into consideration. And there's no need to apologize for your English :)_

 **There's just one more chapter left until the next book begins. I'll see you guys on the 4th of August – until then, have fun!**


	17. Back to Privet Drive

_Chapter Sixteen: Back to Privet Drive_

Ethereal light gleamed down from above and shook Harry from his slumber. He peeked at the light through squint eyes. Everything was blurry, but despite his shaky vision it was clear that the radiance was brighter than anything he'd ever seen.

He cringed. Was he—?

"No, you're not dead," said a soft, old voice, full of cheer. Harry looked to his right. Dumbledore was sitting next to his bed. Eating from a box of every flavour beans. "You've been out for quite some time, however."

"What happened?" Harry croaked. Dumbledore sighed and suddenly looked very old.

"It seems that, despite all out efforts, Lord Voldemort has come back to life," he said gravely.

Harry's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. "WHAT?!"

Dumbledore chuckled benignly. "I am merely messing with you, my boy," he said.

"Please don't," a matronly voice deadpanned. Harry looked to his left and saw Madam Pomfrey walking very quickly towards him, and without his consent forced a very thick and nasty liquid down his throat. "I would not like to have you thrown out of the hospital wing, Headmaster." She looked at him sternly, but her smiling eyes betrayed her tone.

Harry shook his head. "So Voldemort…?" He left the question hanging, and looked at Dumbledore to confirm his suspicions.

Dumbledore beamed. "Yes, Harry, Voldemort was thwarted, thanks to you, as well as your pokémon and your friends. Unfortunately for us, he has managed to escape, but he will not be making another appearance very soon."

"What exactly happen to him?" Harry asked, curious. He tried to get rid of the image of Quirrel burning alive. "Wasn't the Jewel supposed to bring him to life?"

Dumbledore took of his half-moon glasses and paused for a moment before finally talking. "The Jewel of Life is an artefact about which not much is know. However, one thing is known for sure – the Jewel contains an infinite amount of raw energy within it, and must be used in only limited amounts, and particularly for selfless causes – thus was why Arceus Himself created it to begin with, to cure famine and such. Unfortunately for Lord Voldemort, he did not know when to stop – believing that more energy would stand for a longer life, he tried to empty the Jewel of its resources – more than Professor Quirrel's body could handle, and ultimately, he failed."

"What about Professor Quirrel?" Harry asked.

A sigh escaped Dumbledore's mouth. "Sadly, Quirinus was unable to survive Voldemort's desperate attempt at a new life." He looked firmly at Harry and clapped him on the shoulder. "It is not your fault, Harry. You could do nothing to stop him from dying. Quirinus had been corrupted by Voldemort's lies long before we could have even done something about it. He had made his choice, and however regretful it is, he must live by it."

Silence engulfed the hospital wing for a few minutes. "And what about Voldemort — is he still out there? _How_ is he alive, in the first place?" Harry said, sitting up straighter in his bed. "I thought he died the night he— killed my mum and dad. Shouldn't he remain dead?"

"Alas, Harry, that is something neither you nor I will know," the headmaster murmured. "All I managed to get from him was this – a fragment of the mask he had inhabited." He held up the shard and twisted it around; the sunlight coming through the windows made it gleam in the air. "Unfortunately, I have never seen anything like it."

"And the Jewel?" was Harry's last question.

"The Jewel of Life will be taken to another location. Nicolas is waiting for me in my office, ready to take it and hide it someplace no person will ever be able to visit. It is a temptation that no human can resist for long, and Nicolas already has his affairs set in place.

"It seems that time has made a fool of us once again, Harry," Dumbledore said suddenly, looking up at the clock. "I suggest you return to sleep – Poppy has told me that will not be out until Monday, and it will give you enough time to finish the boxes of chocolate over here." He patted the bedside table. "Minerva is waiting for me in her office, and I need to talk to Mr Weasley's parents. Nothing troubling," Dumbledore added. "Goodbye, dear boy."

And he retreated out of the room. Harry sighed and leaned back in his bed. His eyes flit to his right. The candies looked far more tempting than the Jewel of Life.

XxXxX

"Hedwig, stop!" Harry laughed, trying to get away from his friend, who was flying crazily around their compartment. He knew how much she wanted to stretch her wings after being cooped up in her pokéball for so long. He looked between his legs and scratched Prongs behind the ear, taking in a slow, baby voice to the little fawn as his finger ran through the soft green fur.

He sighed and looked out of the window as the Hogwarts Express slowly docked in King's Cross. It was the end of school, and Harry couldn't believe he was already missing it so badly. He missed running through the halls, escaping Filch – heck, he'd give anything to have just one more spat with Malfoy.

Harry looked at his team. They'd become a close knit family in such short time that it seemed like a miracle. It was great how Hedwig and Prongs had bonded so quickly, and acted like siblings to each other. He might not have had a family before, but right now, he had not doubt that he did. They were everything he had.

"Don't forget to keep in touch!" yelled Hermione as she walked to where her parents were.

"We won't!" yelled Harry, waving as she walked away.

"I'll let you know when we'll pick you up," said Ron as he clapped him on the back. "Maybe a few weeks into the summer and we'll get a ticket to Surrey. Alright?"

"Alright, mate," Harry agreed. "See you!"

"Have a great summer, Harry," Neville said awkwardly. "Uh, I'll, uh, see you when term starts. Or…Never mind. Have a great summer— gosh, I said that already…"

Harry giggled. "Goodbye, Neville," he grinned. Neville smiled sheepishly, walking to a stern old lady, whose wrinkly face broke into a smile when she saw her grandson.

"Ready, Harry?" asked Hagrid. He had Claydol out already.

"Yup," he replied, popping the 'p'. Harry sighed as he grabbed Hagrid's meaty hand and was quickly teleported to the sandy coast of Surrey. Unlike every other child, he couldn't wait till summer got over.

Harry Potter will return in

Harry Potter and the Chamber of the Renegade

XxXxX

 ** _Harry:_**

 _—Hedwig (Female Rowlet)_

 _—Prongs (Male Deerling)_

 ** _Ron:_**

 _—Cyndaquil (Male)_

 _—Scabbers (Male Rattata)_

 _—Voltorb_

 ** _Hermione:_**

 _—Inkay (Female)_

 ** _Neville:_**

 _—Turtwig (Male)_

 _—Trevor (Male Palpitoad)_

XxXxX

 **Thank you for reading till the end. I don't care if you hate it or love it, it means a lot that you took the effort to pick it up in the first place!**

 **And this marks the end of _Harry Potter and the Jewel of Life._ The next book in the series will be called: _Harry Potter and the Chamber of the Renegade._ Remember to follow me to know when the story is out!**

 **I have something planned for Ron in the series. Don't worry.**

 **Now that I've finished _The Jewel of Life_ , I'll be taking a break from this series for a few weeks and focus on my other stories. Primarily, _The Jump_ and _Trainer_. Don't worry, the next book will be out, just not very soon. Thanks for understanding!**

 **Don't forget to favourite this book, follow me to know when the next book is out, and leave a comment in the white box down below! Any constructive criticism helps!**

 **Review responses:**

 **dragons9: This is a great story... I love the way you gave Neville a backbone there... I do hope that Harry will go live with Sirius and please I like molly but not as like Harry's mother is mom is dead sorry but true molly is a loving caring person except to Sirius but she is loud and judgmental on a few things... And when u do pairings please please no genny for harry... I like Daphne if u csn get them talking and knowing the other and Neville with Luna wand Ron with hermoine.. I would like for harry to get to know Sirius... Get to know that he is fun, loving and be does have a serious side.**

 _—Thank you! Sirius will not appear for a while. As for Harry's living arrangements, we will learn about it time. I haven't decided upon the pairings; I'm not much of a romance writer, but I will most likely carry out the canon pairings; if not, I'll be going with my preferences. Thank you for reviewing!_

 **Once again, thank you for reading. And until next time, have a good one, and happy reading!**


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